I wrote yesterday that in the days that I was taking salt pills, I had a large number of apneic events (8-14 per hour as opposed to 0-2 normally). I wondered whether anyone had researched this topic and came across a few articles such Could a High-Salt Diet Be Contributing to Your Sleep Apnea? This is from nearly eight years ago, so not really news.
There are also academic papers authored by medical doctors, such as Increased Dietary Sodium Is Related to Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients With Resistant Hypertension and Hyperaldosteronism. But all the articles that I have seen (only a few) discuss obstructive sleep apnea, whereas I have central sleep apnea, a much rarer condition.
Regardless of the type of apnea, it seems that the scientific community is aware of the effect that salt has on sleep apnea. For many reasons, one should try and reduce one's salt intake as much as possible.
Apparently I was coughing all night long, although I know only that I woke up just after 4 am with a coughing fit. I went and made myself a cup of tea, hoping that this would calm my lungs. I wonder what the CPAP machine will show for last night.
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