Sleep Apnea & 50% of Women

If you’ve been keeping up with our blog, you know that we discussed that sleep apnea, previously thought to be just the men’s problem, actually affects women too. (For those of you lost and curious, here’s the link to our post: https://sleepbusiness.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/sleep-apnea-does-not-discriminate/) Well, it turns out that not only does sleep apnea occur in women, but it occurs in a whopping fifty percent of women too!

A new Swedish study of 400 women between the ages of twenty and seventy recently came out with its startling results. Funded by the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, this study determined that half of the women had mild-to-severe sleep apnea. Four hundred women were chosen from a larger random population sample of 10,000 and were given overnight sleep tests. They answered a questionnaire and were monitored while they slept with sensors attached to their bodies. These sensors measured their heart rate, their eye and leg movements, their blood oxygen levels, their airflow, and even their brain waves. Needless to say, they were monitored very closely for more accurate results.

Researchers found that half of the women had mild-to-severe sleep apnea. In addition, half of the subjects experienced at least five episodes an hour of not breathing for longer than ten seconds, which is the minimum definition of sleep apnea. This disruption of breathing was then followed by a significant drop in blood oxygen levels. In the women who had hypertension or who were obese, researchers found that the numbers for sleep apnea were even higher—eighty to eighty-four percent! This is because hypertension and obesity are two known risk factors for sleep apnea.

It turns out that age also plays a role. The team found that sleep apnea is more common in older age groups. Of the women who were ages twenty to forty-four, one-fourth of them had sleep apnea. Fifty-six percent of women ages forty-five to fifty-four had sleep apnea. And of the women ages fifty-five to seventy, an alarming seventy-five percent of them had sleep apnea.

So what’s the point of all of these statistics? Why do we care? Well, we care because it’s been said that mild sleep apnea, although not as severe, does not go away—it just gets worse over time. So even though it may be mild and manageable now, it’s only bound to get worse. In addition, sleep apnea has been tied to greater consequences such as a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, and even early death. Not only that, but women who have sleep apnea are more likely to develop memory problems and even dementia than women who sleep soundly every night. So you see, it doesn’t just stop at a lack of sleep. No, so many more things, worse things, can come out of this.

 

Sleep Apnea and Other Diseases

            Being the most common sleep disorder, sleep apnea is something we all know we shouldn’t be messing with. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) alone poses a huge obstacle to healthy living: it disrupts sleep. While some can’t even bear the idea of not getting a full night’s rest, loss of beauty sleep isn’t the only thing that sleep apnea is guilty of. There are deadly links between sleep apnea and heart disease, and OSA and diabetes.

            When one looks more deeply into sleep apnea, it causes so much more than just a loss of sleep. Hypertension, arrhythmias, congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke, and sudden cardiac death are all linked to this sleep disorder. The risk of stroke and sudden cardiac death is increased with sleep apnea. Arrhythmias and sleep apnea go hand in hand. A patient with arrhythmias is more likely to have to deal with sleep apnea than a patient without arrhythmias. A patient with severe sleep apnea is 4.3 times more likely to develop significant ventricular arrhythmia than someone who gets the privilege of sleeping soundly throughout the night. An article from a CHF clinic inTorontogave alarming statistics. Half to sixty percent of their CHF patients suffered from sleep apnea as well. In those CHF patients, the struggle with OSA increases the mortality rate by three to four times. Twelve percent of the CHF patients without sleep apnea died. However, twice as many patients with sleep apnea—twenty four percent—died as well. Of all those patients, zero percent of those with treated sleep apnea lived to fight another day. The study showed that the development of cardiomyopathy and CHF in severe OSA patients would likely be avoided with long term CPAP treatment. OSA patients treated with CPAP were reported to experience a seventeen percent lower incidence of cardiovascular events than those who did not receive treatment. While sleep apnea and heart disease appear to go hand in hand, there are treatments and solutions to help ensure that loss of sleep is the only thing one will have to worry about.

            Not only is this sleep disorder a heart breaker, but those with sleep apnea and diabetes have a lot more to worry about than not getting a full night’s rest. Patients that suffer from type 2 diabetes and OSA are at a higher risk for severe retinopathy. This can lead to loss of sight. Retinopathy occurs when the blood vessels in the retina of the eye are blocked or are leaky. This keeps light from getting to the retina and can ultimately damage vision. Neuropathy and other foot problems can come up as well, which can lead to amputation. Neuropathy is nerve damage that can cause long term complications of diabetes. This can lead to foot ulcers and slow healing wounds which can give way to infection. In the worst case scenario, the infection would lead to amputation.

            In conclusion, sleep apnea is so much more than just loss of sleep. Heart disease, arrhythmias, hypertension, CHF, stroke, sudden cardiac death, retinopathy, neuropathy, blindness, amputation, and handicap placard—the list goes on and on! Sleep apnea is no laughing matter. And if you or a loved one suffers from this sleep disorder, be sure to get the proper treatment before you find yourself a victim of the myriad of side effects and you’re wandering around blind with one foot.

The 5 Things You Should Know About Sleep

A few days ago, I posted 5 questions on what you should know about sleep and sleep disorders. Because of the importance of the topic here are my thoughts on those questions:

1). Accidents caused by drivers falling asleep behind the wheel are mainly attributable to MEN-young men who are in the 25 years or younger bracket. Driving while drowsy is a significant problem and may be caused by not getting enough sleep during night time. (if you answered “True” to this question, then think again.

2). Home Sleep Testing is NOT the “silver bullet” that can get you off the hook for a Lab-based Sleep Study. While Home Sleep Testing offers you the convenience and a cost-effective way to diagnose any symptoms of a sleep disorder, it is not for everyone.  This option is available for only a percentage of those who manifest sleep disorder symptoms. (Back to your thinking caps if you answered “True”)

3). Little or No sleep CAN cause hypertension. Normally, sleeping causes your diastolic pressure to drop (the time when your heart is at rest), but interruptions to your sleep or no sleep causes your heart to work harder, increasing pressure. (“False” answers are wrong).

4). Little or No sleep can impair your body’s ability to use insulin, which can lead to Type 2 Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus when your pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin for you. (“False” answers are again wrong)

5). Sleep is actually an on-going or “work” in progress. Even though your body metabolism  slows and your body does gets some rest, there is some brain activity that increases dramatically. In REM sleep, a lot of parts of our brain remain as active as they are even when you are still awake. The brain is “re-energized” when you sleep, not to mention the greater amount of hormones that are produced by your endocrine system during deep sleep. (“False” is actually the correct answer)

It is best that you consult with your physician on what your best options are if you are really interested to know about whether you have a sleep disorder or not.

www.n2sleep.com

Raising Public Awareness of Sleep Apnea

According to research obtained from the  National Heart, Lung and Blood Institutes, including the National Institute of Health, it is essential to gain knowledge of the effects of Sleep Apnea  to anyone’s health.

To begin with, knowledge of the disorder can give increased awareness of its’ relationship to other illnesses such as hypertension, cardiac disease, etc. Sleep Apnea has also been linked to other types of conditions such as irregular heartbeats, depression, and myocardial infarctions (heart attacks).

To add further to the list, obesity, and diabetes Mellitus(Type 2), sleepiness during daytime, and more have been associated with Sleep Apnea. Sleepiness during daytime, in particular,  is dangerous because when people do their ADLs (Activities of Daily Living), such as driving, they can fall asleep on the wheel which could lead to disaster.

Over 60% of Asian men, researchers say, are known to be suffering from some type of Sleep Apnea, be it mild, moderate, or severe. This phenomenon  continues to baffle many sleep experts and physicians. The main question then, is why there is this prevalence of Sleep Apnea in this particular demographic.

With greater awareness, easy to do Home testing,  CPAP machines and other various treatment options, Sleep Apnea can be controlled.

As the old adage goes, “the best things in life are free”. We can say the same thing about Sleep – it is free. We just need to know whether we’re getting free GOOD sleep or not.

www.n2sleep.com