21 Nov The Link Between Breathing and Diabetes
Breathing is such a basic function of life that we rarely pay attention to it. We know how essential it is, but did you know that poor breathing can affect you and your health in unexpected but significant ways?It’s National Diabetes Awareness Month, which helps everyone better understand how to deal with and hopefully prevent the disease. However, not many people know that diabetes and poor breathing are related. Though it may be hard to believe, clinical studies have shown this link. Here’s the connection:
In his upcoming book, Dr. Steven R. Olmos, founder of the TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre, discusses the consequences of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is an interruption of breathing while someone is sleeping. Usually this frightening experience is caused by a 1) decreased drive to breathe, 2) weak throat muscles, which causes an airway collapse, or 3) a smaller airway due to enlarged tonsils, fat deposits in the airway, and/or decreased airway diameter. Not maintaining a healthy airway could result in these risk factors, which then leads to bad breathing and possibly sleep apnea.
So how is it linked to diabetes? These sleep disturbances caused by upper airway issues disrupts the body’s metabolism and may lead to other problems like sugar intolerance and insulin resistance. This of course could result in diabetes. One study found that problems related to metabolism are higher in people with sleep apnea. It also found that using a CPAP device can improve the body’s ability to break down sugar.[1]
Maintaining a healthy airway and breathing correctly are important to having a healthy body and avoiding consequences like diabetes. To keep the upper airway healthy and assure you’re breathing correctly, it is crucial that you breathe through your nose, have a properly formed upper palate, and that your airways are as open as possible. To reduce swelling in the nose and ensure the upper airway is healthy, Dr. Olmos suggests using Xlear Nasal Spray. Xlear is a natural saline spray enhanced with xylitol. The gentle solution does wonders to help you breathe easily and freely during the day and at night.Make sure you’re healthy now and in the future with Xlear.