Snoring and why it shouldn’t be ignored:
Snoring is more than just a loud and annoying noise, it can be an indicator of a Sleep Breathing Disorder (SBD) that can be very serious. The most common form of a SBD is Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a medical condition where your tongue and soft tissues close off your airway and stop air from entering.
Approximately 42 million Americans have a SBD1.
The effects of OSA are alarming:
70% of heart attack patients have mild OSA6
86% of obese type 2 Diabetic patients suffer from Sleep Apneal12
43% of patients with mild OSA have hypertension5
48% of type 2 Diabetes sufferers have Sleep Apnea7
100K car accidents annually8
4x more at risk for stroke9
- Sleep Apnea can also cause memory problems, weight gain, impotence, and headaches if not treated.
- Untreated OSA can lead to a 30% or more reduced survivability rate over the course of 20 years11.
- Drowsy driving is responsible for, at the very least, 100,000 car accidents, 40,000 injuries, and 1,550 deaths
per year8. - Approximately 38,000 deaths occur on an annual basis that relate to cardiovascular problems that in one way
or another are connected to Sleep Apnea. These problems include high blood pressure, hypertension and
stroke, among others10.
Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
- Inconsistent breathing during sleep
- Snoring
- Hypertension
- Depression
- Obesity
- Gasping, choking, or coughing during sleep
- Extreme sleepiness throughout the day
- Lethargic feelings
- Morning headaches
- Lack of interest in hobbies
- Dry mouth and/or sore throat in the morning
- Trouble concentrating or remembering things
More people have OSA than you think.
Sleep apnea affects millions of people worldwide with a diagnosed prevalence similar to Asthma (20 million) and Diabetes (23.6 million of US population)4
