Left untreated, it can raise your risk for heart attack, stroke and more! Sleep apnea can cause loud snoring, but just because you snore doesn’t mean you have sleep apnea. Some 45% of men and 30% of women snore regularly. Most cases are harmless. But anyone who snores nightly and has other symptoms, like pauses in breathing at night or daytime sleepiness, should talk to a doctor to rule out sleep apnea. It is important to treat sleep apnea.
When oxygen levels in the blood drop, your body responds by releasing stress hormones and partially waking you up - as many as hundreds of times in the night. Over time, exposure to those hormones increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
The chronic exhaustion caused by sleep apnea increases the risk of depression. Day-time sleepiness is also a leading cause of road accidents. One study found that practicing the Indian wind instrument called the flute -....
