A good night’s rest is crucial to keeping both your body and mind as healthy as possible. Plus, it can even help you drop pounds! But there’s a condition that can wreak havoc on your shuteye, and it’s becoming more prevalent. Obstructive sleep apnea, a destructive chronic disease that means you breathe normally during the day, but stop breathing for short amounts of time while you’re asleep, is cropping up in more Americans.
"Obstructive sleep apnea is destroying the health of millions of Americans, and the problem has only gotten worse over the last two decades," says American Academy of Sleep Medicine President Timothy Morgenthaler, M.D., in a press release.
The recent statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine expresses concern about the rising number of sleep apnea cases. It cites this alarming statistic: Mild to severe sleep apnea now affects 26 percent of adults between 30 and 70, according to research in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Depending on which subsection of the population you’re talking about, that’s a 14 to 55 percent increase between the periods of 1988-1994 and 2007-2010.
Researchers think Americans’ expanding waistlines may have something to do with this jump. “The ongoing obesity epidemic in the United States is likely to result in ‘offspring epidemics’ of obesity-related conditions. Being overweight or obese is a strong causal factor for [sleep-disordered breathing],” write the study authors.
According to new research highlighted in this statement, sleep apnea can lead to reduced white matter fiber in several brain areas and changes in your brainstem function and structure. It can also lead to a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular complications post-surgery if untreated, and it can increase the risk of nighttime cardiac arrhythmias. Essentially, it's a serious health threat that needs to be addressed and treated.
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So what exactly is sleep apnea? It’s a disorder that causes people to stop breathing for short amounts of time during sleep, usually between 10 and 30 seconds. Those pauses in breathing are called apneas, and in severe cases, they can occur hundreds of times each night. There are two types of sleep apnea. The first is obstructive sleep apnea, which happens when a nose or throat airway becomes partially or completely blocked. (Being overweight can lead to excess, blockage-causing tissue in these airways, which explains why America’s obesity epidemic has been linked to the rise in sleep apnea.) The second type is central sleep apnea, which happens when the brainstem, which controls breathing, is damaged (possibly by infection or stroke).
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The symptoms of sleep apnea can include loud snoring, excessive sleepiness during the day, memory/concentration issues, dry mouth or sore throat upon waking, and morning headaches, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The press release adds that you may experience choking, gasping, or silent breathing pauses, although those are harder to catch unless someone else notices them.
Bottom line: Sleep apnea is scary, but you can cut down on the danger if you take some precautions. Check out these three ways to sleep safer, and of course, see your doctor if you think you’re at risk.
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