- An illustration of a man asleep, fascinated by sleep apnea and aware of its prevalence and data
- Imagine if one in five adults suffered from a disease that affected their physical and mental health.
- It could significantly increase the risk of developing diabetes and cancer or cause hundreds of thousands to struggle with the negative effects.
- Worse, the majority of those affected did not realize it.
- It may seem like a pipe dream. But it's true.
- Sleep apnea is the cause!
- Users may wonder how a person can be so severely affected they do not even know they have.
- But when you look at the statistics about sleep apnea, it becomes clear that many people are unaware of the common symptoms of this disease.
- For this reason, we would like to discuss some facts about sleep apnea.
- These can help you find out if this breathing disorder can affect your loved ones or yourself.
- We will discuss sleep apnea and the people affected by this condition.
- We will discuss the shocking facts about the prevalence of this disorder and the effects of sleep apnea on the body.
- In the last part, we will discuss why treatment is so important and how you can go about it if you have been diagnosed with this sleep disorder.
- Study some facts about sleep apnea.
What is sleep apnea?
- Sleep apnea is a form of sleep-disordered breathing.
- It is characterized by very shallow and slow breaths or even a temporary pause in breathing, especially during sleep.
- To be diagnosed with sleep apnea, you must experience at least five episodes in one hour.
What are the different types of sleep apnea?
- Two main types of sleep apnea can be distinguished: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA).
- In OSA, the airways are narrowed due to excessive relaxation of the muscles in the throat and mouth during sleep.
- In contrast, CSA is caused when the muscles involved in breathing do not contract during sleep.
- Another form of sleep apnea, called complex sleep apnea, occurs when a patient with obstructive sleep apnea is diagnosed with central sleep apnea.
What are the stages of sleep apnea?
- Your initial sleep analysis results will determine the severity of each sleep apnea episode.
- The stages of obstructive sleep apnea are classified by the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI), which reflects the severity of sleep apnea.
- It is determined by measuring the number of nocturnal pauses or slowing of breathing.
- Central sleep apnea is calculated similarly to the central index for Apnea and hypopnea.
- To meet the requirements of the CSA, 50% of the apnea episodes must be due to the "central" event.
- Mild sleep apnea: 5-14 AHI/CAHI
- Moderate sleep apnea: 15-30 AHIs/CAHIs
- Severe sleep apnea: 30+ AHIs/CAHIs
- What are the risk factors for sleep apnea?
- Obstructive and central sleep apnea can affect people of all ages, genders, and races.
- The following are the risk factors most likely to affect your risk of developing sleep apnea.
- Age
- Being male
- The use of drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol
- Underlying conditions
- Analytical and physiological abnormalities
- Obesity
What are the most commonly observed signs of sleep apnea?
- Sleep apnea can affect your sleep in many ways.
- It's important to know that everyone's experience with this disorder is different. Mild obstructive sleep apnea is often associated with fewer symptoms, but extreme cases can be life-threatening.
- However, some of the most common signs of sleep apnea include the following:
- Loud snoring is usually the first sign of someone suffering from sleep apnea. It is mainly due to airway obstruction.
- Respiratory failure: this is typically associated with the sensation of getting up and breathing heavily.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness: the brain responds to each apnea pause by waking you up to ensure you can take a deep breath.
- If this occurs repeatedly and you are constantly awake, you may struggle with sleepless nights.
- Keep in mind that any of these symptoms or signs do not guarantee that you have sleep apnea.
- If you suffer from one or more sleep disorders, contact your doctor and schedule a sleep test.
Do you suffer from sleep apnea?
- Loud snoring is common in people suffering from a sleep disorder.
- Although snoring is not as common in central sleep apnea, an estimated 94% of people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea snore.
- In addition, the severity of snoring can provide information about the extent of sleep apnea.
- A 2010 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that the louder someone snored, the better they scored for their AHI.
Can other conditions cause sleep apnea?
- Sleep breathing disorders can occur as a result of an underlying condition.
- Central sleep apnea is particularly common, but certain diagnoses can also increase the risk of airway narrowing.
- For example, a 2012 study found that several people with type 2 diabetes suffer from sleep apnea without realizing it.
Investigating the prevalence of sleep apnea
What percentage of adults suffer from sleep apnea?
- Research suggests that the risk of developing sleep apnea increases with age.
- The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine estimates that 22% of adults between 18 and 90 suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.
What percentage of children suffer from sleep apnea?
- The number of children suffering from sleep apnea is believed to be significantly lower than the statistics for sleep apnea in adults.
- Up to 6% of children are believed to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, and up to 5% suffer from central sleep apnea.
What percentage of people have sleep apnea during sexual activity?
- Experts believe that in North America alone, 15-30% of men and about 10% of women suffer from sleep apnea.
- However, a 2015 Swiss study suggests these numbers may be higher: 23.4 percent of female participants and 49.7 percent of participants were misdiagnosed as having moderate to severe sleep apnea.
What is the number of Americans who have Apnea or sleep apnea?
- According to the American Medical Association, more than 30 million people in the U.S. are believed to have sleep apnea, and approximately 9 percent of the population has obstructive sleep apnea.
What is the number of people who suffer from Sleep Apnea?
- Researchers estimate that more than 900 million adults worldwide have obstructive sleep apnea.
- These same experts believe that many of these cases need to be identified. CSA, however, is far less common.
- One study shows that 0.9 percent of adults may suffer from central sleep apnea, or about 80 million people worldwide.
What percentage of people Are Not Diagnosed with Sleep Apnea?
- According to experts that according to experts, this is one of the most worrying statistics on sleep apnea.
- The signs of sleep apnea can be less obvious compared with other sleep disorders, and mild sleep apnea can manifest in different ways.
- Unsurprisingly, as high as 80 percent of these cases are not diagnosed.
- It is extremely worrying since sleep apnea that is not treated can cause other health problems.
How common is sleep Apnea?
- Sleep apnea is extremely prevalent. It is 2nd most frequent insomnia condition around the world.
- Research suggests one in five people may be living with this disorder.
- Sleep apnea incidence is comparable to diabetes, with more than 28 million instances in the United States.
- It is more prevalent than asthma, which has the number of cases reaching 26 million.
Understanding the Effects on Sleep Apnea
Can Sleep Apnea Cause other health issues?
- Sleep apnea sufferers are more likely to develop various health issues than those without sleep disorders.
- It is likely because of the more severe inflammation, which is thought to result from frequent apnea episodes.
- If you suffer from sleep apnea and sleep apnea, you are most likely to suffer from various chronic diseases.
- Examples include:
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- High Blood Pressure
- Strokes
- Mental Health Conditions
How Does Sleep Apnea Impact, Heart Health?
While sleep apnea can influence your health in various ways, it can be particularly damaging to your heart. A recent study of data revealed that if you suffer from sleep apnea is the case, then you are:
- Eighty-six percent more likely to stroke.
- Seventy-one percent are more likely to develop heart disease.
- Forty-eight percent are more likely to develop coronary heart disease.
- Does Sleep Apnea Lead to High Blood Pressure?
- Sleep apnea is linked to hypertension. Based on research into sleep apnea data, 89% of young adults suffering from unresolved high blood pressure are considered to have Obstructive sleep apnea.
Can Sleep Apnea Affect Mental Health?
- Mental health concerns are one of the more significant sleep apnea signs.
- Recently, a group of researchers discovered that 47% of sufferers with sleep apnea have mental health problems.
- It is believed to be caused by two distinct factors: the harm done to the brain by going without oxygen for even brief durations and the low quality of sleep commonly associated with sleep apnea.
- Other psychiatric illnesses that can be related include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar Disorder
- PTSD
Does Sleep Apnea increase your risk of Mortality?
- Unfortunately, those suffering from sleep apnea are much more likely to be killed.
- As per the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a person not treated for sleep apnea is three times more likely to die than those who don't suffer from this condition. It is why the treatment of sleep apnea is vital!
What Causes People With Sleep Apnea to End Up Dying?
- Sleep apnea is distinct in comparison to other disorders of sleep since it is a cause of harm to the human body.
- Sleep apnea sufferers have a higher risk of dying for various reasons.
- However, research has revealed that most deaths are due to heart conditions that have been exacerbated or even sleep Apnea.
- Approximately 42% of those suffering from sleep apnea died due to stroke or cardiovascular disease.
- It is thought to stem from frequent periods of low to no oxygen levels, which is especially harmful to blood vessels.
Does Sleep Apnea Treatment Reduce the Risk of Demise?
- Studies suggest that the risk of dying decreases when managed by CPAP and other suitable treatments.
- The year 2015 saw a group of researchers found that people seeking treatment for sleep apnea experienced a five-year survival rate of 94 percent.
- In contrast, just 69% of those who did not receive treatment survived during the same time.
Does Sleep Apnea increase your risk of being involved in a car Accident?
- While it is an issue to be concerned about, it is one of the most fascinating statistics on sleep apnea!
- The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports it declares that people suffering from this disorder are 2.5 percent more likely to be involved in a crash.
- However, this number is reduced by 70% when you use a CPAP for longer than four hours per night.
- Based on the AASM news release, the following elements are believed to play a significant part in whether sleep apnea can cause an accident.
- Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
- Not getting enough sleep
- Sleeping Pills and their Use
How many people get in car accidents due to sleep Apnea?
- A study from 2004 reported more than 800,000 Obstructive Sleep Apnea-related auto accidents in the year 2000 in the United States alone.
- Researchers also found that treating all people suffering from sleep apnea will help save $11.1 billion in collision expenses and 980 lives each year.
Recognizing the importance of the treatment of sleep Apnea
How many people sleep with the CPAP Machine?
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is often considered the primary treatment option for people suffering from sleep apnea;
- however, how well-known are they?
- Although the exact number is unclear because of how many people use them and the number of patients who have stopped CPAP treatment early, the manufacturers have estimated that around 8 million people use the aid of a CPAP device each night.
What is the goal of CPAP Therapy?
- We are asleep using a CPAP to lower the number of apnea-related episodes that happen during sleep.
- However, there is an additional motive behind CPAP therapy. It is to reduce the negative consequences of frequent sleep apnea-related events throughout.
- Sleepers who are regularly using their device may be able to have the risk of death from early age reduced by up to 61 percent.
- The study in 2022 also predicted that CPAP therapy could reduce a person's chance of suffering from heart failure by the number 77. %.
What is the success rate of CPAP Treatment?
- To be deemed a success, CPAP therapy must decrease the number of sleep apnea events, or AHI, by at least 50 percent.
- A review from 2014 by The European Respiratory Journal states that those suffering from sleep apnea and who follow up on their CPAP-based treatment program have an 80percent percent success rate.
- It means that 4 out of five can expect their AHI scores to be reduced in the half range or even more!
Can CPAP Therapy Enhance the Quality of Life?
- Those who stick to their CPAP treatment program will likely notice several life improvements.
- In a study released by the American Thoracic Society, these benefits were evident even in people with mild symptoms that suffer from sleep apnea.
- The findings are in line with an earlier study on the quality of life following CPAP, in which participants who suffered from the two conditions, Central as well as Obstructive sleep apnea, experienced an improvement in:
- Everyday Function
- Social Interactions
- Emotional Functioning
- General Symptoms
Can Sleeping with a CPAP Machine Help You Save Cost?
- Some expensive effects can accompany sleep apnea.
- One of the most obvious is the expense of medical care for complications that develop when the patient is not receiving treatment.
- Researchers have calculated that those suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea who sleep using a CPAP machine can save between $2700 and $5,200 annually compared to those who don't.
Does losing weight reverse the effects of sleep Apnea?
- Changes in your lifestyle and losing weight can lower your chances of developing sleep apnea late in your life.
- They can also decrease the severity of current cases, including the many sleep apnea symptoms.
- But weight loss is typically not enough, especially when sleep apnea is severe.
- In 2015, researchers studied the effects of exercise and diet on overweight people over 60 years old who suffer from sleep apnea.
- Although their condition wasn't completely reversed, they did notice an improvement in their number of sleep apnea episodes per hour, between an average of 22 to 12.
- Doctors frequently suggest mixing Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment with lifestyle modifications.
What are the alternative Therapies for Sleep Apnea?
- There are numerous options for sleeping using a CPAP.
- But, the majority of them are designed to treat Obstructive sleep apnea.
- Some of the most commonly used are Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT), Positional Therapy (PT), and surgery.
- The surgery and OAT are far more efficient than PT and PT alone. However, the success of each of these options is contingent on the patient.
How Effective Are CPAP Alternatives?
- A study showed that Mandibular Advancement Devices, a variant of OAT, decreased the number of sleep apnea episodes in 86% of the participants. 33% of the participants experienced their AHI score drop by over 50 percent.
- However, the success of surgery is contingent on the ability of the surgeon to match the appropriate procedure with the appropriate patient.
- For example, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) has a success rate of more than 80% in individuals with a small soft palate. Yet, this procedure is only effective in 8% of obese patients with larger soft palates.
Conclusion
- We've covered the person most likely to experience sleep Apnea, its prevalence, and its effects on your life.
- You may have an undiagnosed condition. Should you or your spouse believe you may are suffering from Central Or Obstructive Sleep Apnea or another sleep-related disorder, we suggest you consult with your physician about your concerns.
- They suggest completing your sleep test at home or scheduling complete sleep research.
- For more information on sleep apnea, strategies and tips for living with sleep apnea, reviews of CPAP accessories and devices, and more, be sure to visit the blog!