With age, both women and men experience a natural decrease in the level of sex hormones. The authors of a new study, the results of which were published in the journal PLOS ONE, found a link between sleep apnea and a decrease in the level of the sex hormone estrogen. According to them, this may explain why menopausal women often complain of sleep apnea. And although this manifestation of menopause has been known for a long time, the reasons are still unclear and little studied. A new study suggests that the cause of the problem may be just the lack of female sex hormones.
The study, which lasted for two years, involved 774 women. Of these, 71.2 percent said they snore, and 411 participants reported other symptoms of sleep apnea. How writes Express, by doubling the concentration of estrone — a type of estrogen — women were 19 percent less likely to snore.
At the same time, a doubling of progesterone levels was associated with a 9 percent decrease in this probability. It is also reported that among women who snore, doubling the concentration of the three types of estrogen was associated with a 17-23 percent decrease in the likelihood of stopping breathing during sleep.
The findings suggest that adjusting hormone levels in menopausal women may help reduce the risk of conditions such as sleep apnea. However, hormonal therapy should also be approached with caution – according to experts, some hormonal drugs may be associated with cardiovascular risks.