Have you ever woken up to your partner snoring? Or maybe your partner woke you up because YOU were snoring. Either way you look at it, snoring can get a little annoying, especially for someone who has to listen to it. However, snoring stops being annoying when the snorer repeatedly stops breathing for brief moments throughout the night.
As a sign of sleep apnea, snoring can lead to cardiovascular problems, which is potentially life threatening. A person with sleep apnea may experience pauses in breathing five to 30 times per hour or more during sleep.
Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease Connection
When sleep apnea episodes occur, you might not wake up. However, if you do wake up, you might gasp for air. Sleep apnea prevents you from getting a good night’s sleep every night. It can also be associated with high blood pressure, arrhythmia, stroke and heart failure.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America and stroke is the fourth cause. These conditions are the leading cause of disability while high blood pressure is a major risk factor for both. If you find yourself waking up exhausted after a full night’s sleep, contact Dr. Bonnie Foster today. Together we can create a proper treatment plan to help you sleep better at night—suitable oral appliances can help.
Treatment
The connection between sleep apnea and heart disease continues to evolve. Whether sleep apnea actually causes heart disease is still unclear, but we do know that sleep apnea does increase the chance that you will develop hypertension in the future. The evidence is strong for the relationship between sleep apnea and heart disease, so please visit our office for further guidance and help.