Loose weight to decrease your sleep apnea events

People who suffer disrupted breathing during sleep may be four to six times at higher risk of death than those without the condition, according to two research reports published Friday in the journal Sleep.

Previous studies have shown that sleep apnea is associated with higher death risk among people with other health conditions. These new studies demonstrate that the increased risk of death occurs even among generally healthy people with obstructive sleep apnea.

One study, conducted by researchers at Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Australia, involved 380 persons of both sexes, age 40-65. This study was population-based, drawing on participants in an ongoing health survey in a Western Australia town.

The incidence of sleep apnea was severe in 3 people, moderate in 18, and mild in 77; the 285 other people did not have sleep apnea. After 14 years of follow-up, the researchers found that 33 percent of those having severe to moderate sleep apnea had died. In comparison, only 6.5 percent of the group with mild sleep apnea and 7.7 percent of the people with no sleep apnea had died.

The results demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt “that sleep apnea is a fatal disease,” said the lead researcher.

In the second study, conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1,522 state employees, age 30-60, were asked to spend a night in a sleep laboratory. Among them, 4 percent had severe to moderate sleep apnea, 20 percent had mild sleep apnea, and the remaining people did not have it. After 18 years of follow-up, they found that 19 percent of those with severe to moderate sleep apnea had died but only 4 percent of those without the condition.

In both studies the difference between risk of death for people with mild apnea and no apnea was not statistically significant.

Sleep apnea is marked by pauses in breathing, lasting up to a minute, during sleep. This is interspersed between episodes of loud snoring. The windpipe closes partially, and the individual grunts, snorts, and snores. Pulse rate becomes irregular. The brain senses the lack of oxygen and tries to rouse the sleeper. The unaware sleeper “wakes” for a few seconds, breathes deeply, goes back to sleep, and then another apnea cycle begins. This happens several hundred times a night. Very often, those with sleep apnea have no idea about the non-breathing episodes or the repeated waking up.

The result is deprivation of REM-sleep. This may result in greater tendency to fall asleep while driving, daytime sleepiness and chronic fatigue. It could also lead to hypertension and high risk of stroke or heart attack.

Safety Tips:

* Consult your doctor. If you have or suspect you have sleep apnea, get a diagnosis and discuss treatment options (which may include devices or surgical procedures).

* Lose weight. Numerous studies indicate weight loss of even 5-10 percent of body weight results in significant decrease in the frequency of sleep apnea events.

* Sleep on your side. Some patients suffer less obstruction by sleeping on their side rather than on their back.