Sleep Apnea Associated to Increased Risk of Stroke? How do I know if I have Sleep Apnea?

Because sleep apnea symptoms happen at night when the patient is asleep, many don't realize they are affected and can go years, even a lifetime, suffering from the condition and not knowing it.

People who suffer from sleep apnea can have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while they sleep. It can also be accompanied with loud snoring, or snorting. The erratic sleeping/breathing pattern can put serious stress on the heart, because the pauses cause the flow of oxygen to the vital organs to slow (or even stop) for a few seconds, which makes the heart pump harder.

The effects of sleep apnea start to erode your body, which can eventually lead to stroke.

According to a recent study out of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of stroke in middle-aged or older Americans. Additionally, according to the National Sleep Foundation, 18 million people in the U.S. suffer from sleep apnea and many of them don't know it!

What a frightening statistic!

The study followed approximately 5500 participants, aged 40 years and older without a history of stroke, for an average of nine years. During that period a total of 193 participants had a stroke - 85 men (of 2,462 enrolled) and 108 women (out of 2,960 enrolled).

Men diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea were nearly three times more likely to have a stroke than men without sleep apnea or men with mild sleep apnea.

But in women, it was different. The increased risk of stroke in females was significant only in women with severe levels of sleep apnea. The increased risk of stroke from sleep apnea depended on other risk factors the women had such as weight issues, smoking, race, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Researchers believe that because men are more prone to have sleep apnea earlier in life, the risks of stroke are much higher than in women, who usually suffer from sleep apnea when they are pregnant, overweight, or going through menopause.

The findings of the recent study provide compelling evidence that OSA is a risk factor for stroke, especially in men. Most importantly, the study found that increased stroke risk in men occurs even with relatively mild levels of sleep apnea. The next step for this project is clinical trial studies to help scientists determine if treating sleep apnea can lower a person's risk of stroke and other diseases.

So how do you know if you have sleep apnea, or just a snoring problem? If you have a partner who notices you are snoring heavily and gasping for breath as you sleep, or if you wake up in the morning and find you can't function during the day due to excessive fatigue, sleep experts recommend you talk to your Medical Doctor and/or Dentist...that's right...your Dentist!

There are several treatment options available through both M.D.'s and Dentists. It's up to the patient to make the first move and ask to be tested.

Because sleep apnea has no pain, many people think it can't hurt them. But, research continues to show that sleep apnea can and will hurt your body - especially if it goes undetected.

4 Things to Ask Your Doctor About Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea is a potentially life-threatening sleep disorder that has roots in your airway passage. In case you suspect you have sleep apnea on the basis of your partner's complaints of snoring, you may want to consult a doctor. Here's what you can ask your doctor on your first visit, to show you are an involved patient who would like to get their facts:

1. What exactly is sleep apnea and what type of sleep apnea do I have?

The sleep apnea condition is characterized by a disturbed state of sleep in which you pause breathing several times (up to 30 times) every hour while sleeping and for anything between a few seconds to a minute each time. Resumption of breathing is generally automatic and follows choking or gasping for breath. Clinical diagnoses have found three basic types, namely central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, and mixed sleep apnea.

2. What will the line of treatment the doctor will follow?

The line of treatment depends on the type of sleep apnea you have and the acuteness of your condition.

3. Will the treatment also require physiotherapy or an invasive procedure like surgery?

If your case so requires (and as per the judgement of your doctor), you could be prescribed with invasive procedures such as mandibular myotopy, somnoplasty, uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty or tracheotomy.

4. Will I be fitted with a breathing device? What sort of device is it and how will it help me?

It is not essential that you will have a device to consider. However, you could be fitted with any of the following devices depending on your case (type and seriousness of condition).

• CPAP - The Continuous Positive Air Pressure is a customized device generally recommended for moderate to severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea. It is a strap on mask-like device to be worn at bedtime that provides rhythmic pressurized air with a built-in humidifier to prevent the air passage from collapsing.
• OAT - The Oral Appliance therapy is a dental device which advances the lower jaw forward, elevates the palate and lowers the tongue to open the airway. These devices are used only with obstructive sleep apnea patients.

Vascular Inflammation in Obesity and Sleep Apnea

Check out this article: Untreated obstructive sleep apnea is more important determinant of cardiovascular disease than obesity. http://www.cardiosource.com/cjrpicks/CJRPick.asp?cjrID=5688