Avoid being snored to death
- Posted On:
- Written By: Felicia Messimer
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, untreated severe obstructive sleep apnea more than doubles your risk of dying from heart disease.
Nearly 30 million American adults are kept from restful sleep by obstructive sleep apnea, a chronic disease that involves the repeated collapse of the upper airway during sleep. According to the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, there are five key warning signs and risk factors for sleep apnea:
- snoring
- choking or gasping during sleep
- fatigue or daytime sleepiness
- obesity (BMI of 30 or higher)
- and high blood pressure.
Millions of people with sleep apnea remain untreated, which can lead to dangerous health consequences. Sleep apnea hurts HEARTS by increasing the risk of:
- H - heart failure
- E - elevated blood pressure
- A - atrial fibrillation (A-fib)
- R - resistant hypertension
- T - Type 2 diabetes
- S – stroke
Fortunately, sleep apnea is treatable with continuous positive airway pressure therapy – or CPAP. This treatment uses mild levels of air pressure, provided through a mask, to keep the throat open while you sleep. The National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project recommends that people who have been prescribed CPAP therapy for sleep apnea should use the treatment nightly to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death.
You can read more about this project, and check out some more statistics here.
The Sleep Center at Campbell County Memorial Hospital can diagnose and treat over 70 different sleep disorders, and was recently accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It’s one of only three accredited sleep centers in the state of Wyoming. The most commonly treated sleep disorders are snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and shift work disorder. Learn more at www.cchwyo.org/sleep.
The National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project was initiated in 2013 and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through a cooperative agreement with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. For more information, visit www.projecthealthysleep.org.
