Snoring & sleep apnea
Welcome to the SleepCare.com Snoring and Sleep Apnea page. Sleep Apnea is a serious disorder in which the sufferer's airway relaxes and closes during sleep, preventing the body from getting critical oxygen. Heavy Snoring if often a warning sign of Sleep Apnea. Due to the lack of oxygen and numerous arousals throughout the night the sufferer's overall health can be seriously harmed by Sleep Apnea. Browse our additional Sleep Apnea topics found in the menu to the left or continue reading for more information on the negative impacts of Sleep Apnea.The Daners of Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Throughout numerous medical studies, Sleep Apnea and Snoring have been identified as serious health risks in Hypertension, Obesity, Heart Failure and Diabetes.- Obesity is not only the leading cause of Sleep Apnea, but the effects of Sleep Apnea can lead to further weight gain.
- 83% of individuals with Hypertension also have Sleep Apnea and there is a direct relationship between the severity of Sleep Apnea and the severity of hypertension.
- Sleep Apnea plays a critial role is decreasing heart functions, while CPAP significantly improves pumping efficiency, blood pressure, cardiac and stroke incidents, and quality of life.
- Treating Sleep Apnea with CPAP has shown to reduce blood sugar levels in Diabetics by 30%.
Everyone knows someone who snores, whether they reside in the same household, sleep in the same bed, or maybe the snorer is you. Until recently snoring was just an annoying, sometimes funny condition. Movies have often portrayed snoring in a comedic sense, with characters playing pranks on snorers. However, now may be a good time to stop laughing and have a serious talk about snoring and its more serious form, sleep apnea. Snoring happens when someone’s airway relaxes and narrows, causing it to vibrate as air passes through. Sleep Apnea occurs when that airway completely closes, the individual quits breathing, which means his or her body is no longer getting oxygen, and they often
respond by gasping for air and waking throughout the night. Due to decreased oxygen and frequent awakening, Sleep Apnea has been found to decrease the sufferer’s quality of life and complicate disorders such as; Hypertension, Heart Failure and Diabetes.
The reason Sleep Apnea is associated with these serious disorders is its relationship with obesity. A recent study by Columbia University shows that individuals suffering from Sleep Apnea are more likely to be obese than those who regularly get seven or more hours of quality sleep. This is not new information, considering that obesity is the leading cause of Sleep Apnea. However, the study also suggests that Sleep Apnea may be contributing to obesity and preventing weight loss. This is due to two factors: sleep deprivation throws off metabolism and appetite hormones, making you feel hungrier yet unable to burn calories as quickly, all while sleep deprivation results in decreased energy levels. This limits your exercise and other activities that would otherwise lead to weight loss. When these factors are coupled, it is easy to see why weight loss attempts may be in vain. Treating your Sleep Apnea could be the first step to losing weight and achieving a healthier lifestyle.
Hypertension is another serious disorder that is common among Americans and is often complicated by Sleep Apnea. An article published in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that 83% of Hypertension patients have Sleep Apnea and there is a direct relationship showing that as the severity of Sleep Apnea increases, the severity of hypertension increases proportionately. This evidence suggests that anyone currently diagnosed or being treated for Hypertension, needs to be tested for Sleep Apnea. This fact was made more apparent when the effects of Sleep Apnea treatment, a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP), were shown to reduce blood pressure by 30% while reducing dependency on anti-hypertensive medications significantly. Additional surprising results that support these findings lie in a study conducted by the Yale Center for Sleep Medicine. This trial showed that a pool of patients with mild to severe Sleep Apnea resulted in 22 strokes and 50 deaths over a three year period, yet in a non-apneic group of patients there were only two strokes and 14 deaths over the same period.
Heart Disease follows a similar trend of hypertension and its relationship to Sleep Apnea. The American Journal of Respiratory Care showed that 50-60% of those with heart problems suffer from Sleep Apnea. Reduced oxygen levels that result from Sleep Apnea play a critical role in decreasing the performance of cardiac functions. Heart patients receiving treatment for sleep apnea with a CPAP machine, saw significant improvements in pumping efficiency, blood pressure, cardiac and stroke incidents, and quality of life.
