Who can be affected by Sleep Apnea?

People that are most likely to develop sleep apnea are the ones that are overweight and/or snore loudly. Any abnormality in the nose, throat or other parts of the upper airway can contribute to the condition as well as high blood pressure. 

Although sleep apnea affects more middle-aged men, one out of 50 middle-aged women suffers from sleep apnea. 

According to the National Sleep Foundation, studies show that people with moderate-to-severe sleep apnea are three to four times more likely to have a stroke. Approximately 50 percent of those with sleep apnea have high blood pressure and are at risk for a heart attack, proving this condition can be fatal if not treated. 

Children are not free from this sleep apnea. If your child sleeps in strange positions, has confusion upon awakening, has morning headaches among other symptoms he/she may suffer from childhood sleep apnea. A sleep test, called polysomnography is usually done to diagnose this condition. 

Read more on Sleep Apnea.

Lack of Sleep May Increase Calorie Consumption

If people don't get enough sleep, they may also eat too much—and thus be more likely to become obese. That is the finding of researchers who presented their study at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions.
"We tested whether lack of sleep altered the levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, increased the amount of food people ate, and affected energy burned through activity," said Virend Somers, MD, PhD, study author and professor of medicine and cardiovascular disease at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
The researchers studied 17 normal, healthy young men and women for 8 nights, with half of the participants sleeping normally and half sleeping only two-thirds their normal time.
Participants ate as much as they wanted during the study.
Researchers found:
• The sleep deprived group, who slept 1 hour and 20 minutes less than the control group each day, consumed an average 549 additional calories each day.
• The amount of energy used for activity didn't significantly change between groups, suggesting that those who slept less didn't burn additional calories.
• Lack of sleep was associated with increased leptin levels and decreasing ghrelin—changes that were more likely a consequence, rather than a cause, of overeating.
The researchers noted that while this study suggests sleep deprivation may be an important part and one preventable cause of weight gain and obesity, it was a small study conducted in a hospital's clinical research unit.

Source: http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/sleep_report/2012-04-04_02.asp

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day – April 18th

April 18th is Sleep Apnea Awareness Day. Besides CPAP, there are other new therapies like oral appliances.
Read more about Sleep Apnea Awareness Day from the American Sleep Apnea Association by visiting this link... http://www.prleap.com/pr/185998/