Sleep apnea death is on the rise in our culture. The statistics are alarming. Did you know that sleep apnea can increase your death risk by a whopping 46 percent? It’s true. In fact, deaths resulting from sleep apnea generally fall under three categories…
• obstructive sleep apnea
• central sleep apnea
• accidents as a result of sleep apnea.

The two main reasons for sleep apnea and the ones which lead to death in most cases are age and obesity.

Death from obstructive sleep apnea can happen due to collapse of the airways. This is easy to prevent as devices like MAD and CPAP prevent the airways from getting obstructed. This is also the reason why obstructive sleep apnea deaths account for a very small fraction of all sleep related deaths. However, sleep aiding devices alone are not enough to avoid death. Treatment is necessary and so are changes in your eating and exercising habits. Since deaths arising from sleep apnea are sudden and unpredictable, it is important to ensure that you take all the measures possible to avoid any chances.

Central sleep apnea deaths, on the other hand, account for a large number of sleep apnea deaths. Central sleep apnea has more to do with brain signals and that is why death is more difficult to prevent. Sometimes the brain sends the opposite signals to the lungs rather than letting them breathe normally. Certified medical treatment from a licensed physician is the best way to prevent this variety of sleep related death.

Moreover, the reasons for death are not limited to attacks while sleeping alone. A large number of sleep apnea death also account for road accidents like car crashes and other accidents resulting from hallucinations and lack of attention. In fact, a significant percentage of all car crashes in the United States involve sleep apnea patients according the National Traffic Safety Administration. And statistics show that it really does not matter how severe your sleep apnea is. Deaths resulting from car crashes are as high for mild sleep apnea patients as those suffering from severe sleep apnea.

If you feel like you may be suffering from chronic sleep apnea, please get tested and treated as soon as possible. It is also a necessity to incorporate some basic changes in your daily life. It is important to control your obesity by keeping a check on your diet and follow a daily exercise regimen. You must actively try to fight sleep apnea and its symptoms, especially if you are over the age of 55 or suffer from obesity. Treating sleep apnea will not only help you reduce your risk of sleep apnea death but also help you live longer, healthier, and happier.

Technorati Tags: anxiety sleep disorder, sleep apnea death, sleep apnea testing, sleep deprivation symptoms, sleep disorder quiz, sleep disorder statistics, sleep maintenance insomnia, sleep paralysis disorder

Tags: anxiety sleep disorder, sleep apnea death, sleep apnea testing, sleep deprivation symptoms, sleep disorder quiz, sleep disorder statistics, sleep maintenance insomnia, sleep paralysis disorder

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 9:34 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.