Millions of Hispanics at Risk for This Serious Sleep Problem

Did you know that up to 14 percent of Hispanic men and 6 percent of Hispanic women could have obstructive sleep apnea, according to the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos? Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening disease involving episodes of complete or partial airway obstruction during sleep. This is bad news, as research shows that sleep apnea is related to increased risk of heart disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and depression. The study also shows that Hispanics in the U.S. with sleep apnea have a 40 percent higher chance of hypertension, a 50 percent higher odds of impaired glucose tolerance and a 90 percent higher risk of diabetes. This is compounded by the high levels of obesity and diabetes already prevalent among Hispanics. While excess body weight is the leading risk factor for sleep apnea, a common misconception is that sleep apnea only affects older, overweight men. This widely-held assumption is wrong: anyone can have sleep apnea, regardless of gender, age or body type - even if you're not overweight. Fortunately, many of the damaging effects of sleep apnea can be stopped, and even reversed, through diagnosis and treatment by a sleep doctor. Here are five warning signs for sleep apnea: • Snoring. Besides being a nuisance to your bed partner or roommate, loud and frequent snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea. While not everyone who snores has this sleep disease, snoring is a warning sign that should be taken seri...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news