Originally published January 2 2006
New study links sleep apnea to increased risk of stroke
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has published a study that reveals the risk of stroke in those suffering from sleep apnea.
Hugh Magnus knows fitful sleep: He suffered through years when, each night, he would stop breathing and wake every 15 minutes, leaving him chronically exhausted.
Mr. Magnus purchased a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device; at bedtime, he dons a small mask and the machine pumps air into his mouth and nose to prevent the involuntary lapses in breathing that characterize sleep apnea and cause a host of health problems.
But, in early October, Mr. Magnus took a trip to Jamaica and, not wanting the hassle of carrying the CPAP device through airport security, he left it behind.
The study shows that people with untreated obstructive sleep apnea are four times as likely to suffer a stroke as those who do not have the disorder.
Practically speaking, that means sleep apnea increases a person's chance of having a stroke even more than smoking or diabetes, two well-established risk factors.
The new findings are important because stroke -- most commonly caused by a blood clot interrupting blood flow to part of the brain -- is a leading cause of death and disability.
"The good news is that there are effective treatments for sleep apnea," Dr. Douglas Bradley, director of the sleep research laboratory at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, said in an interview.
It is also recommended that apnea sufferers not drink alcohol or take sleeping pills before bed, and that they not sleep on their backs, because those factors exacerbate breathing problems.
"But the best treatment is CPAP," Dr. Bradley said.
"Our hypothesis is that treating with CPAP will prevent strokes."
There is also evidence that people with sleep apnea suffer more debilitating physical and mental injuries when they have a stroke, so CPAP treatment might also mitigate disability.
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