Is Sleep Apnea Becoming Common Among Women?

(CC) hansvandenberg30/Flickr

Sleep apnea is a common yet serious condition that occurs when the upper airway closes while sleeping. It can occur a few times a night or hundreds, leaving sufferers tired throughout the day and at risk of losing oxygen during the night. Scientists have long thought that the disorder was most common among men, but new research suggests that more women are afflicted with the condition than previously thought.

When researchers in Sweden selected 400 women between the ages of 20 and 70 for a sleep study, they discovered that half of them had sleep apnea, to varying degrees of seriousness. The strong link between the women discovered to have apnea was due to high risk factors such as obesity, hypertension and one thing than cannot be controlled: age.

While men have had high visibility within the medical communtiy of being sufferers of sleep apnea, women have not been looked at as much. It’s important for women, especially those with high risk factors such as hypertension or obesity, to ask their doctors about the condition. When left untreated, it can lead to a higher risk of stroke and heart disease. Sleep apnea isn’t just a man’s health concern. It’s now a woman’s health concern as well.

(By Marissa Brassfield for CalorieLab)

Ed. note: Enjoyed this post? Click the “Like” button below and be sure to “Like” the CalorieLab Facebook page.

Is Sleep Apnea Becoming Common Among Women? is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

Source: http://calorielab.com/news/2012/10/25/sleep-apnea-women/

diet tips dukan diet weight loss diets pregnancy diet diets that work