Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel recently found that women over the age of fifty-five who snore have a greater risk of developing sleep apnea.
According to the National Institute of Health, sleep apnea is when "your breathing stops and restarts many times while you sleep. This can prevent your body from getting enough oxygen."
Sleep apnea, which falls under the umbrella of sleep disorders, has become a growing problem in the United States. Currently, about twenty-two million Americans suffer from the disorder.
The researchers' new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, included over two hundred and fifty women. Half were between the ages of twenty and forty, while the other half were fifty-five and over.
The research team discovered that only about 3.5% of the younger women are at an increased risk of developing sleep apnea. However, about 15% of the older women were found to be at significant risk.
Moreover, the 11% of women who snored were also found to be at higher risk of developing the sleep disorder.
While sleep apnea can be properly treated– ranging from lifestyle changes in milder cases to using a CPAP air pressure machine during sleep in more severe cases– early diagnosis is vital.
If left untreated, sleep apnea may become fatal due to low blood oxygen concentrations. Additionally, the disorder can contribute to hypertension, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.
Professor Ilana Eli, one of the study's researchers, explained how older women are very likely to go undiagnosed.
"The lack of early diagnosis is particularly noticeable in one target demographic group– women over the age of fifty who suffer from an increase in the incidence of sleep-disordered breathing due to hormonal changes that occur during menopause," Professor Eli said.
Since sleep apnea occurs while unconscious, it can be challenging to know if you are suffering from the disorder. In turn, the researchers advise women to pay attention to other coinciding symptoms– including fatigue, muscle soreness, headaches, and other sleep problems, such as insomnia.
Moreover, the research team has also urged physicians to ask more specific questions that may help prevent patients from remaining undiagnosed.
"Ask your older patients the relevant questions that no one is asking. Do you snore? Do you suffer from headaches or neck pain when you wake up? As them to fill out a dedicated questionnaire to identify the risk of sleep apnea," the researchers wrote.
And if you believe you may be suffering from sleep apnea, be sure to contact a sleep specialist for a consultation.
To read the study's complete findings, visit the link here.
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