Healthy Living

But one of the associated problems that isn’t talked about as much is sleep apnea, a disorder that involves shallow or interrupted breathing that can interrupt your sleep.

While on the surface this may not seem as important as diabetes or other health issues related to being overweight, there is more to consider. Sleep apnea increases the risk for stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea are also at higher risk for postoperative complications.

Studies show that sleep apnea is present in 50-70% of stroke patients. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine placed the figure at 68%.

Another study of 5,422 people with untreated sleep apnea showed that 193 of them had strokes within nine years.

This makes it even more important that we treat sleep apnea as the major health issue that it is.

But detecting it can be a problem. Many times it cannot be detected in your physician’s office, and the person suffering from sleep apnea may not know it until a family member notices it when they are sleeping.

Symptoms include:

• Loud snoring
• Daytime sleepiness
• Insomnia
• Breathing pauses during sleep
• Shortness of breath that wake you up
• Waking up with a headache, dry mouth or sore throat.

If you experience these symptoms, or observe them in others, see your doctor.

Unfortunately, sleep apnea is a chronic condition, but it can be managed with a variety of treatments, including weight loss programs, CPAP breathing machines, dental oral appliances, and surgery.

It’s important to have this sleeping disorder diagnosed and treated before it is too late.

Dr. Setu Vora is Medical Director of Critical Care and Quality at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, and in private practice. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. If you want to comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Dr. Vora or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org

# posted by ----------------- @ 10:18 PM