What
You Need to
Know If You
Suffer From
Excessive Snoring
and Sleep Apnea
Excessive snoring
and sleep apnea
often go hand
in hand. Sleep
apnea may be
far more detrimental
to your health
than merely
feeling tired
all the time.
A recent study
released by
the National
Institutes of
Health Sleep
Heart Health
Program has
linked sleep
apnea as a major
risk factor
for developing
heart disease.
What is sleep
apnea? Sleep
apnea is a condition
that occurs
when you regularly
stop breathing
for a period
of 10 seconds
or longer during
sleep. Sleep
apneas is classified
as mild, moderate
or severe, based
on the number
of times per
hour your stop
breathing (apnea)
or have slowed
breathing (hypoapnea).
Apnea episodes
can occur from
5 to 50 times
an hour. Sleep
apnea is divided
into three types:
obstructive
sleep apnea,
central steep
apnea and mixed
sleep apnea.
My practice
focuses on the
most common
sleep apnea-obstructive
sleep apnea.
The risk of
developing cardiovascular
disease is 1.6
times normal
for those that
suffer from
sleep apnea.
This results
in an overall
risk of 35°l°
for the middle
aged and elderly
population (study
was performed
on patients
40 years of
age and older).
Believe it or
not, sleep apnea
presents almost
of much risk
in developing
cardiovascular
disease as does
smoking, obesity
and diabetes
Do
you have sleep
apnea? Take
the test below
to find out.
l ) Does your
snoring bother
other people?
Yes
No
2) Snoring loudness:
Loud as breathing
or less
Loud as talking
Very loud
3) Snoring frequency:
Almost every
day
1-2X a month
I-2X a week
never
4) Have you
or someone else
noticed pauses
in your breathing
while sleeping?
Yes
No
5) Are you tired
after sleeping?
Almost every
day
I -2X a month
1-2X a week
never or
almost never
6) Are you tired
during your
wake time?
Almost every
day
I -2X a month
l - 2X a week
Never or almost
never
7) Do you have
high blood pressure?
Yes
No
Don't know
