It is suspected that one of the major factors to heart diseases, especially those that don't respond to traditional methods of dealing with heart problems, is sleep apnea. Indeed the link between sleep deprivation and heart disease has become especially prominent in recent years as more research has been carried out into the sleep disorder that literally causes you to stop breathing whilst asleep.
Dr Somers, professor of hypertension and cardiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, had this to say "It is possible that diagnosing and treating sleep apnea may prove to be an important opportunity to advance our efforts at preventing and treating heart disease"
The reasons are simple - sleep deprivation places considerable pressure on the heart, which can lead to heart complications.
Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder whereby the sufferer will stop breathing at regular times whilst asleep. This can last into the minutes at a time and will usually take place a number of times an hour.
This causes the body to use it's oxygen reserves quite considerably and can lead to a build up in carbon dioxide in the blood stream. This build up places extra strain on the heart as it is required to pump harder to move what oxygenated blood is left around the body.
Furthermore the lack of oxygen causes blood cells to contract, increasing the body's blood pressure. Indeed it is strongly suspected, based on current research, that apnea can severely limit the body's ability to regulate it's own blood pressure.
This 'double hit' of increased work load and higher blood pressure can lead to a dramatic increase of the likelihood of heart disease, and because it is not from outside influences or traditional methods the normal medical practices of dealing with heart disease may well prove less suitable.
Which is why many doctors believe more patients who are suffering from heart disease should be tested for sleep deprivation, to see if it is, if not the cause, at least contributing to the problem. It is also suggested by some medical experts that those who suffer from sleep apnea should be tested for heart problems as a matter of course (this is becoming more and more common).
This strong link between sleep apnea and heart problems is something that worries a number of sufferers of sleep deprivation. It should be noted, however, that one of the major causes of sleep deprivation is being overweight (especially true of obese people), and so they are already likely to be susceptible to heart problems.
Sleep apnea and heart disease are two medical problems that go hand in hand. It is certainly worth looking into one if you have the other - they may hold the key to helping you improve your health.
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