It is estimated that 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, with 80 percent of the cases of moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea undiagnosed.
How common is sleep apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep apnea and is believed to affect approximately 4% of men and 2% of women. However, it is believed that only about 10% of people with OSA seek treatment leaving the majority of OSA sufferers undiagnosed.
What percent of snorers have sleep apnea?
According to the Vancouver Sleep and Breathing Center, an estimated 30 percent of adults over 30 snore, and 40 percent of adults over 40 snore. Of the total snoring population, about 28 percent also experience sleep apnea.
What percent of men have sleep apnea?
Men are more susceptible to sleep apnea than women. Nearly 20 percent of men and nine percent of women experience sleep apena at some point in their lives.
Can you be thin and have sleep apnea?
Indeed, he said, thin people can get apnea (although being overweight is a risk factor). Kids get it, too, the most common cause being enlarged adenoids and/or tonsils. And even though loud snoring is one common symptom, non-snorers can have the condition. There are two basic types of sleep apnea.
What are the warning signs of sleep apnea?
The most common symptom of sleep apnea is snoring. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Snoring is likely to be a sign of sleep apnea when it is followed by silent breathing pauses and choking or gasping sounds.
People with sleep apnea often have daytime sleepiness or fatigue.
Common symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Loud or frequent snoring
- Silent pauses in breathing
- Choking or gasping sounds
- Daytime sleepiness or fatigue
- Unrefreshing sleep
- Insomnia
- Morning headaches
- Nocturia (waking during the night to go to the bathroom)
- Memory loss
- Difficulty concentrating
- Decreased sexual desire
- Irritability
Can you die if you have sleep apnea?
After following 3 million veterans over 9 years, the researchers discovered that those with untreated obstructive sleep apnea—a condition which causes your breathing to sporadically stop and start while you are sleeping—were 86 percent more likely to die at a younger age than those without the breathing condition.
Is sleep apnea really a problem?
Snoring can make for a bad night’s sleep, for you and your bed mate. But if it happens because you have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it’s a sign of a bigger problem. The condition raises your risk for other health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes. It can even make you more dangerous on the road.
Who is most at risk for sleep apnea?
However, certain factors put you at increased risk, including:
- Excess weight. Around half the people with obstructive sleep apnea are overweight. Fat deposits around the upper airway may obstruct breathing.
However, not everyone with obstructive sleep apnea is overweight and vice versa. Thin people can develop the disorder, too.
- Narrowed airway. You may inherit naturally narrow airways. Or, your tonsils or adenoids may become enlarged, which can block your airway.
- High blood pressure (hypertension). Obstructive sleep apnea is relatively common in people with hypertension.
- Chronic nasal congestion. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs twice as often in those who have consistent nasal congestion at night, regardless of the cause. This may be due to narrowed airways.
- People who smoke are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea.
- Obstructive sleep apnea may be more common in people with diabetes.
- In general, men are twice as likely as women to have obstructive sleep apnea.
- A family history of sleep apnea. If you have family members with obstructive sleep apnea, you may be at increased risk.
- Recent research has found an association between asthma and the risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
How would I know if I had sleep apnea?
The three main warning signs of obstructive sleep apnea are: Loud, persistent snoring. Pauses in breathing, accompanied with gasping episodes when sleeping. Excessive sleepiness during waking hours. However, the only way to get diagnosed with Sleep Apnea is to take a sleep test. Dr. Nugent can help you with that process.
What can happen if sleep apnea goes untreated?
Left untreated, sleep apnea can have serious and life-shortening consequences: high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, automobile accidents caused by falling asleep at the wheel, diabetes, depression, and other ailments.
Does sleep apnea shorten life span?
Individuals with OSA are at risk for numerous related medical complications including but not limited to depression, high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia and heart attack and stroke. Various studies have shown individuals under fifty years of age with OSA to have a life expectancy that is reduced by 8 to 18 years.
Don’t let the dangers of Sleep Apnea effect you or your family. Call us today at 713-941-8261 or visit us at 3421 Burke Rd Ste A, Pasadena, Texas 77504.