Research shows green tea may ease sleep apnea symptoms

LOUISVILLE, Ky Green tea has chemical components that may help ease symptoms in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, some U.S.researchers have reported.

A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine said that polyphenols found in green tea, when added to drinking water and administered on oxygen-deprived rats over a 12-hour sleeping period (a method created to mimic symptoms of intermittent hypoxia, or IH)  helped the rats perform better in memory exercises.

The research study was lead by Dr. David Gozal of the Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute at the University of Louisville. After receiving green tea water or the placebo, rats were tested for inflammation and oxidative stress, and also were tested in spatial learning and memorization in navigating a water maze with a hidden platform. Rats given green tea tested slightly better in the water-maze test.

Gozal said that the green tea polyphenols "may represent a potential interventional strategy for patients" with sleep-disordered breathing.