2023-07-31 14:16:00
Sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAS) is a nocturnal breathing disorder.
It is characterized by cessation of breathing caused by repeated episodes of obstruction of the respiratory tracts in the back of the throat.
These breathing stops can last from 10 to 30 seconds and can be repeated up to 100 times per night.
These episodes have consequences on the oxygenation of the brain which causes the person to wake up so that they can resume their breathing.
Snoring and daytime sleepiness associated with this syndrome are the result of poor sleep.
To know, sleep apnea affects 4% of the French population.
Sleep apnea: health consequences
In addition to disturbing the sleep of those affected, sleep apnea has certain consequences on the quality of daily life.
Frequent drowsiness may be noted as well as difficulty concentrating, memory and mood disorders.
Worse still, sleep apnea can cause a decrease in alertness leading to road or work accidents.
In the long term, the consequences of sleep apnea can be very harmful to health, as stated by the Health Insurance:
OSAS promotes the occurrence of:
- d’high blood pressure,
- d’coronary artery disease,
- d’heart failure,
- of heart rhythm disorders,
- d’stroke.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is very often associated with:
- blood fat abnormalities
- diabetes,
- a metabolic syndrome.
How sleep apnea can cause cardiovascular disease?
The consequences of sleep apnea on cardiovascular health were already partly known. However, we did not know how OSAS might have an impact on it.
A recent study showed that people with the syndrome are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease due to reduced blood oxygen levels during sleep.
Data from 4,500 adults were compared. Some characteristics of sleep apnea were taken into account: hypoxic load (insufficient oxygen supply), ventilatory load (stopped breathing due to obstruction of the airways) and nocturnal awakenings.
The results showed that hypoxic and ventilatory loads were directly associated with cardiovascular disease.
Aggravating factors of sleep apnea
Some factors favoring sleep apnea can thus be noted, among which we find:
- sex (men are more affected than women, twice as much),
- age (30% of those affected would be over 65),
- overweight,
- consumption of alcohol or sleeping pills,
- smoking,
- and nasal obstruction.
The consequences on health can be deleterious, do not hesitate to consult a health professional in case of suspicion of the syndrome.
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