I wonder if anyone has had this experience: you're sound asleep and suddenly woken up by your partner's snoring. Even worse, your partner's snoring stops abruptly mid-snore, then after a few seconds of silence, they start breathing again. Besides affecting both parties' sleep quality, these situations also raise concerns about a hidden health risk—sleep apnea!
Sleep apnea affects approximately 4% of adults in Hong Kong. Common symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring or pauses in breathing during sleep, daytime sleepiness, easily dozing off, decreased daytime concentration and cognitive ability, headaches upon waking, increased nocturia, and more. In addition to affecting sleep quality, increasing marital friction, and reducing daytime work efficiency, sleep apnea also increases the risk of a range of cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. If a patient is a professional driver, operates heavy machinery, or works at heights, the risk of industrial accidents also increases.
In recent years, the HKU Stroke Research and Prevention Group (HKU Stroke) conducted a meta-analysis of literature and found that about 27% of over 8,000 stroke patients suffered from severe sleep apnea. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, stroke patients with sleep apnea have a higher chance of recurrent stroke and experience a decline in daily activity and cognitive abilities compared to general stroke patients. (1)
In fact, sleep apnea can be divided into two main types: "central apnea" and "obstructive apnea." The former is related to brain lesions, while the latter is caused by enlarged or swollen upper airway tissues, or muscle relaxation during sleep leading to obstruction. Obesity is the most common risk group. In addition, men, those over 50 years old, those with a neck circumference exceeding 40 cm, severe nasal allergies, enlarged tonsils, and thyroid dysfunction also have a higher risk of sleep apnea.
Suspect you might have sleep apnea? You can take a simple online self-assessment!
Original URL:
https://www.etnet.com.hk/www/tc/health/author/drc-c/LA81217?utm_source=website&utm_medium=copied-text
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