The answer to this question is a round. Yeah.
In my Snoring Clinic it is common to see the majority of patients arrive under the direct influence of the person with whom they share a bed, without worrying too much about their own problem. “I’m here because my wife told me” is the most heard phrase. “It doesn’t bother me, but my marriage is hanging by a thread” also occupies the podium. However, whoever sent it, although sometimes it bothers you more than it worries you, may be saving you from a more tragic outcome than simple back pain from sleeping on the couch.
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), unfortunately the undesirable champion of mortality in Portugal, can be masked by snoring. This noise at night can be a warning sign of a serious health problem, Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSA).
But the thing do not ends there. Cardiovascular diseases, such as acute myocardial infarction, which kills more than 35,000 Portuguese each year, are also closely related to OSAS.
Sleep apnea is a disorder that disrupts our rest by causing breathing to stop and start repeatedly during sleep. This can occur due to upper airway obstruction, often caused by relaxation of the soft tissues in the throat, or due to a problem in the brain that affects the regulation of breathing.
In Portugal the prevalence of OSAS is believed to be increasing, largely due to increasing obesity. Estimates suggest that OSAS affects between 2 and 4% of the general adult population. As for snoring, it is a common problem that affects between 20 and 30% of the population. However, from the age of 35 the prevalence of snoring increases to 40-60%, being more common in men than in women.
These interruptions in breathing cause sudden drops in blood oxygen levels, which increases blood pressure and overloads the cardiovascular system. This happens because the body needs to work harder to ensure that oxygen is distributed to all vital organs. The heart, being one of these vital organs, is especially affected by these changes.
Therefore, sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease and stroke.
Additionally, sleep apnea can increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, which are abnormal heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation. It is estimated that patients with sleep apnea are two to four times more likely to develop cardiac arrhythmias than people without OSA. This syndrome also increases the risk of heart failure and the risk of coronary heart disease by 30%.
Sleep apnea also has a significant impact on cerebrovascular diseases. Studies show that sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of stroke. This happens because drops in blood oxygen levels and increases in blood pressure can damage blood vessels in the brain, increasing the risk of having a stroke.
I firmly believe that a better understanding of the etiology of sleep apnea, together with an early diagnosis, is essential for a better approach to this disorder, which is undertreated in the clinical setting. Therefore, I recommend everyone to have regular health checks and seek medical help if they experience symptoms suggestive of sleep apnea, even if it is simple snoring. Remember: healthy sleep is synonymous with a healthy heart and brain.
Now, when someone complains that they snore, think that the worst problem could be yours. It’s time to go back to bed and get off the couch.
Marco Menezes Peres is an otorhinolaryngologist, specialist in snoring and sleep apnea at the Hospital dos Lusíadas in Lisbon and at the Cuf Sintra Hospital. He is also a hospital assistant at the Prof. Doctor Fernando Fonseca Hospital, responsible for the Aesthetic and Functional Rhinoseptoplasty consultation.
Arterial is a section of the Observer dedicated exclusively to topics related to cerebrovascular diseases. It results from a partnership with Novartis and has the collaboration of the Association to Support Patients with Heart Failure, the Portuguese Cardiology Foundation, Portugal AVC, the Portuguese Stroke Society, the Portuguese Atherosclerosis Society and the Portuguese Society of Cardiology. It is completely independent editorial content.
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Source: Observadora
