Sleep apnea has been connected to an increased risk of having a stroke. According to a new research study, men with obstructive sleep apnea are twice as likely to have a stroke and women also have an increased risk. Researchers say the risk of a stroke rose with severity of sleep apnea. Men with moderate to severe sleep apnea are three times more likely to have a stroke than men with mild or no sleep apnea. Women only had an increased risk of stroke just in severe cases of sleep apnea.

A major study was conducted with 5,422 people 40 years old and over with no history of smoking. Participants were diagnosed with sleep apnea via standard at-home sleep test. The participants were followed for 9 years. During that time, 85 out of 2,642 men and 108 out of 2960 women suffered from strokes.

The increase of stroke even exists without other factors like weight, high blood pressure, race, diabetes, and smoking. Men naturally have a greater risk because they develop sleep apnea at younger ages and so go untreated for a longer amount of time.

Sleep apnea is also linked to other health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Many experts say sleep apnea is under-recognized by physicians and that is why so many troubles arise. Hopefully, this new research will lead to larger awareness of the dangers of sleep apnea.

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Research is showing that the characteristic snorting and gasping of sleep apnea can spur potentially fatal heartbeat abnormalities. Senior study author Dr. Susan Redline was quoted in Health News saying, “we studied the specific risk of cardiac arrhythmias and sleep apnea — do these events act as a trigger for cardiac abnormalities?” she said. “And we established that there is a close temporal relationship.”

Heartbeat patterns seen during normal breathing against those occurring within 90 seconds of a sleep apnea episode were compared during the research. The researchers focused on atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, a too-fast beating of the lower blood-pumping chambers that can cause sudden death. The research, which consisted of 57 people with varying ranges of sleep apnea disorders, showed 62 arrhythmias. Because of these findings, it’s important that doctors be alert for the possibility of sleep apnea in people who have heart rhythm abnormalities.

For the rest of the study, visit NorthShore University HealthSystem’s news section.

Sleep apnea is a problem that can go undetected for a long period of time. Do you have a snorer in your family? Perhaps you are the one doing the snoring without even realizing it. But snoring is not something to take lightly, as it can be a sign of sleep apnea. Read more