A recent Swedish study monitoring 400 sleeping women ages 20-70 suggests that up to 50% of women have sleep apnea: they stop breathing for more than 10 seconds at least 5 times an hour while they sleep.
When a person, male or female, suffers from obstructive sleep apnea—the type examined in the study—they breathe normally during the day, but when they fall asleep at night, their throat collapses, so they stop breathing adequately and don’t get enough oxygen. This disruption in breathing can last for 10-60 seconds, and it can happen as many as 80 times per hour! At best, the sleeping disorder can result in poor sleep quality, headaches, and daytime fatigue, but at worst, it can kill you by increasing your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. In fact, a 2008 study published in the journal Sleep found that people with severe sleep apnea were three times as likely to die of any cause compared to those without the disease.
See on blog.womenshealthmag.com
via Tumblr Sleep Apnea: The Killer Sleep Disorder
