According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s
National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, untreated severe obstructive sleep apnea more than doubles your risk
of dying from heart disease.
Nearly 30 million American adults are kept from restful sleep by obstructive
sleep apnea, a chronic disease that involves the repeated collapse of
the upper airway during sleep. According to the National Healthy Sleep
Awareness Project, there are five key warning signs and risk factors for
sleep apnea:
- snoring
- choking or gasping during sleep
- fatigue or daytime sleepiness
- obesity (BMI of 30 or higher)
- and high blood pressure.
Millions of people with sleep apnea remain untreated, which can lead to
dangerous health consequences. Sleep apnea hurts HEARTS by increasing
the risk of:
- H - heart failure
- E - elevated blood pressure
- A - atrial fibrillation (A-fib)
- R - resistant hypertension
- T - Type 2 diabetes
- S – stroke
Fortunately, sleep apnea is treatable with continuous positive airway pressure
therapy – or CPAP. This treatment uses mild levels of air pressure,
provided through a mask, to keep the throat open while you sleep. The
National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project recommends that people who have
been prescribed CPAP therapy for sleep apnea should use the treatment
nightly to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death.
You can read more about this project, and
check out some more statistics here.
The
Sleep Center at Campbell County Memorial Hospital can diagnose and treat over 70 different
sleep disorders, and was recently accredited by the
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It’s one of only three accredited sleep centers in the state of
Wyoming. The most commonly treated sleep disorders are snoring, sleep
apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and shift work disorder. Learn more at
www.cchwyo.org/sleep.
The National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project was initiated in 2013 and
is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through a
cooperative agreement with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. For
more information, visit
www.projecthealthysleep.org.