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Sleep Apnea (also called Sleep Apnoea) is a common sleep disorder that is characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep, which force the sufferer to wake up to resume normal breathing, and disrupt and disturb their normal sleep cycle. These episodes, called apneas, usually last from a few seconds up to as long as sixty seconds in severe cases, and may occur repeatedly throughout the night. The health implications that can result from sleep apnea can be very serious. According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, approximately 38,000 deaths on a yearly basis relating to cardiovascular problems have to do with sleep apnea. It is estimated that twenty million Americans suffer from sleep apnea in one form or another. This works out to be an average of twenty-four percent of males and nine percent of females. Approximately six million of these individuals have severe sleep apnea that requires medical attention. The number might in actuality be higher as many people who suffer from sleep apnea are not even aware of their condition. Sleep apnea is still a bit of a mystery among doctors and health care professionals and researchers are constantly conducting studies to help them understand it better.
There are some risk factors associated with sleep apnea that a person cannot help and others that fall under the category of preventable factors. Let's take a closer look at both kinds of risk factors.
First we will look at the risk factors that we have no control over whatsoever. Age plays a role, as sleep apnea is more likely to afflict those over the age of thirty. Sleep apnea is more common in men than women. Some studies done on the subject have yielded the results that two to three times more males have the disorder than females while other studies have gone even farther by saying that five or six times more men suffer from it than women. If someone in your family suffers from sleep apnea then family history dictates that you might be more likely to develop the condition. Some races such as Black, Hispanics as well as Pacific Islanders are more prone to developing sleep apnea while Caucasians are less likely. Studies have proven that Black people tend to develop sleep apnea at an earlier age than do Caucasians.
Those who suffer from scoliosis or other types of spinal deformities sometimes develop breathing interruptions that can lead to sleep apnea. Medical conditions such as Down's syndrome or Marfan's syndrome that relate to craniofacial abnormalities can increase a person's chances of developing sleep apnea. Menopause in some cases seems to increase a woman's chances of suffering from sleep apnea. In fact the rate of sleep apnea in women is higher for those who are presently going through menopause or for those who have already been through it as opposed to women who have not reached it yet. Apparently after menopause passes, males and females have an equal chance of developing the sleeping disorder.
One of the greatest factors that contribute to sleep apnea is obesity and obesity is a factor that can be controlled. On average seventy percent of individuals who suffer from sleep apnea are overweight or obsess. Losing weight is one way to lower your chances of experiencing sleep apnea. Consuming liquor and/or taking medicines such as sedatives or sleeping pills (prescription or not) directly before bedtime can increase a person's chances of falling victim to sleep apnea. Smoking can contribute to the sleeping problem as the nicotine in cigarettes relaxes the muscles that make it possible for air to pass through. If you sleep with more than one pillow or an oversized pillow and also if you sleep on your back regularly this could make sleep apnea become progressively worse.
Written by: Scott Parat
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If left untreated, Sleep Apnea can be life threatening. Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) can cause people to fall asleep at inappropriate times, such as while driving, endangering their lives and the lives of their passengers and those around them.
Sleep apnea also appears to put individuals at risk for stroke and Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs), also known as "mini-strokes", and is associated with coronary heart disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, gout and high blood pressure.
So, if you or a loved one are suffering from sleep apnea, be sure to see your doctor so that the sleep apnea symptoms can be treated, removed, or reduced before they become life threatening.
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