Healthy Living

Foods to Reduce Sleep Apnea

Melatonin-rich foods

As a treatment, melatonin is one of the most effective — and natural — supplements to anyone who suffers from sleep apnea. This substance is readily available in pill form and can be consumed by just about anyone (not limited to sleep apnea sufferers) to help them relax and get some proper, deep sleep at night.

The way this works is that melatonin is a substance which is closely related to daylight and is only secreted by our body when we’re in complete darkness — which is mostly related to the night, and therefore the usual times to get some sleep and recharge our batteries. Once we’re exposed to the first light of the day, a connection from our retina to the hypothalamus influences the secretion of cortisol, a stimulating hormone which signals that it’s time to get up, making us feel wide awake regardless of whether we had a good night’s rest or not.

Melatonin supplements can simulate our body’s exposure to darkness, and help us to get deeper, meaningful sleep. Foods that naturally boost melatonin levels include barley, rice, oats, sweet corn, tomatoes, pineapples, oranges and bananas.