Is your snoring a bother to you and your partner? Unfortunately, it might be more than just bothersome. Snoring is also a common symptom of a larger health issue known as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a medical condition characterized by periods of suspended breathing which can occur up to hundreds of times a night. If you’ve been snoring, you may want to evaluate your risk factors of developing the disease. You may be aware that your weight, age, and race play a role in the likelihood of having the condition, but did you know that your family’s history may seriously affect your risk?
Obesity: A Common Denominator
A little over half of sleep apnea sufferers are also obese. This common link may be why doctors often categorize sleep apnea as a hereditary disorder. Hundreds of studies have shown a genetic component to obesity, and that fact alone may explain why obesity and sleep apnea often coexist. Excess fat around the neck and the effect obesity has on the musculature around the throat both negatively impact a person’s airway, making it harder for the windpipe to stay open during sleep. If you’re overweight and have a family member with sleep apnea, consider paying a visit to your health care practitioner.
Cardiovascular Disease
Although untreated sleep apnea causes cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, known as hypertension, and heart failure may also contribute to the development of sleep apnea! Since high blood pressure is most certainly a genetic disorder, together sleep apnea and high blood pressure make a deadly genetic duo.
Overtime, untreated sleep apnea makes this hypertension worse, and the same is true for the reverse. Persistent and unmanageable high blood pressure leads to hardening of the arteries, congestive heart failure, and stroke. If you’ve got a family history of hypertension, it’ll never hurt to have your doctor’s office provide you with a sleep apnea screening.
Family History of Sleep Apnea
The medical consensus is that a genetic component is certainly influencing sleep apnea. If someone in your family has been diagnosed with the disorder, ask your doctor about your risk factors at your next check up. If you’re also obese, have a history of heart disease, and snore, don’t put off having your risk factors evaluated as soon as possible. It’s very likely that you’re suffering from sleep apnea. Although treatable, sleep apnea should be taken seriously before it promotes the development of other grave medical problems like kidney disease and diabetes.
CPAP Therapy Can Help
A diagnoses for sleep apnea isn’t a death sentence. In fact, sleep apnea it extremely treatable and treatment is effective in preventing a worsening of the disease. The most commonly prescribed treatment for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure therapy via a CPAP machine and sleep apnea mask.
When your doctor prescribes you with CPAP therapy for you sleep apnea, purchase a CPAP system and sleep apnea care supplies from a reliable retailer. The health care professionals at Breatheeasycpap.com take pride in connecting sleep apnea sufferers with their optimum CPAP systems. You might not be able to manage your hereditary factors, but you can ensure that you treat your condition with a quality CPAP machine and put a stop to its dangerous adverse effects.
