Sleep apnea research has come a long way since the first exhausted person was hooked up to monitors for a sleep study. From new warnings and treatments to new insight on comorbid conditions, here are the ten latest findings from sleep apnea research.
Why is it so important to study sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is more than just a poor night of sleep. Although most estimates place the incidence of sleep apnea at an estimated 25 million people in the U.S., most doctors and researchers agree that approximately 80% of sleep apnea goes undiagnosed.
In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 100 million people worldwide suffered from sleep apnea. They also admitted this was an estimate. Ten years later, armed with better data, they revised that estimate to one billion—one in seven people in the world—suffering from sleep apnea.
This exponential upwards revision means that more people may be suffering from sleep apnea-related health conditions than previously thought, including:
Now more than ever, new research on effective diagnosis and treatment is crucial to address this global health issue.
New sleep apnea research findings
Sleep apnea research is not a new field, but it has grown as the connections between sleep apnea and other serious health risks have become clear.
Here are ten research findings to consider.
1. Dental devices can be just as effective as CPAP
When it comes to sleep apnea research, 2019 saw confirmation of what the sleep apnea dentists at AZ Dentist have seen for themselves: dental devices for sleep apnea can be just as effective as CPAP machines.
This is due in part to the ease of compliance. However, the device itself also appears to be effective all on its own.
2. Sleep apnea erases memory
Untreated obstructive sleep apnea is connected to an inability to remember events in our lives.
As troubling as this is all by itself, this forgetfulness is then linked to an increased risk of depression.
3. Alzheimer’s biomarkers are increased by sleep apnea
In addition to the simple loss of memory due to sleep apnea, the presence of sleep disordered breathing increases levels of Alzheimer’s biomarkers in the brain. This leads to an increased risk of this form of dementia.
However, researchers caution that the study size was small and recommend further research.
4. Short pauses in breath are more deadly
You would think that a long pause in breath would pose more risk to people with sleep apnea. Actually, one study found the opposite.
Shorter pauses were more correlated with a 31% increased risk of death from any cause.
5. Eyelids may be a sign of sleep apnea
Lax eyelid syndrome (LES), a condition where the eyelids are relaxed and floppy, may be a sign of undiagnosed sleep apnea.
This study found that 53% of sleep apnea patients had this distinctive indicator.
6. Even the healthiest among us can die from sleep apnea
In somewhat surprising research, a study of rugby players found that not only did healthy, active university rugby players have a higher risk of sleep apnea than their middle-aged counterparts, but that this incidence could prove fatal.
The low blood oxygen and higher pulse rates of sleep disordered breathing also put these athletes at risk of cardiac failure and heart disease.
7. Untreated sleep apnea can be fatal
Even some of the earliest sleep apnea research highlighted the dangers of untreated sleep apnea.
Truck drivers who abandoned their sleep apnea treatments had a risk of accident five times higher than those who stuck with treatment.
8. Medical cannabis is not a proven sleep apnea treatment option
With the increase in medical cannabis use across the U.S, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) published a position statement regarding the inclusion of sleep apnea as a condition that can be treated by medical cannabis.
Prompted by Minnesota’s decision to allow medical cannabis use for sleep apnea, the statement’s lead author Dr. Kannan Ramar, professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota had this to say:
“Until we have further evidence on the efficacy of medical cannabis for the treatment of sleep apnea, and until its safety profile is established, patients should discuss proven treatment options with a licensed medical provider at an accredited sleep facility.”
The AASM does not completely dismiss medical cannabis but suggests that until it is proven effective, patients should stick to other treatments.
9. CPAP treatment for sleep apnea also addresses prediabetic complications
Both sleep apnea and diabetes are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. It makes sense that treating one might help the other.
Research from the American Thoracic Society found that CPAP treatment lowered resting heart rates while awake and asleep, reducing levels of stress hormones and helping prediabetic patients to utilize blood sugars more effectively.
Further, this reduced stress on the heart and reduced potential complications from both conditions.
10. Shortened sleep disorder is not the same as sleep apnea
This seems like a common sense finding, but look deeper. Many studies have been published on the link between less sleep and various serious health conditions, such as cardiovascular complications, stroke, and dementia.
In truth, shortened sleep duration—defined as less than six hours a night—may not actually be correlated with those things. In all likelihood, people who struggle to get a good night’s sleep may actually be suffering from undiagnosed sleep apnea. This is good news for folks who cannot seem to log a solid eight hours of shut-eye, but with a cautionary bit of advice: if you consistently wake up groggy and write it off as not enough sleep, consider getting tested for sleep apnea, just to make sure.
Sleep apnea research is a crucial area of treatment at AZ Dentist. Get in touch today to learn more about your sleep apnea treatment options in the Phoenix area.
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