We have seen several postings warning about the harmful impact of sleep apnea on the heart in additin to its immediate impact on CH.  Yet another....
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MEDSCAPE (8/2/08)

Untreated Sleep-Disordered Breathing May Triple Risk for Mortality

August 1, 2008 — An 18-year follow-up study finds that untreated sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) increases the risk for mortality 3-fold, according to the results of a study reported in the August 1 issue of Sleep.

"...SDB is a treatable but markedly under-diagnosed condition of frequent breathing pauses during sleep," write Terry Young, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and colleagues. "SDB is linked to incident cardiovascular disease, stroke, and other morbidity. However, the risk of mortality with untreated SDB, determined by polysomnography screening, in the general population has not been established."

The study cohort for this 18-year mortality follow-up study was the population-based Wisconsin Sleep Cohort sample (n = 1522). Participants had baseline polysomnography to detect SDB, which was characterized by the number of apnea and hypopnea episodes per hour of sleep. Cutoff points at 5, 15, and 30 episodes per hour of sleep identified mild, moderate, and severe SDB, respectively. All-cause and cardiovascular mortality risks associated with SDB severity levels, after adjustment for potential confounding factors, were estimated with use of Cox proportional hazards regression.

After adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and other clinical variables, the risk for all-cause mortality significantly increased with SDB severity. For severe SDB vs no SDB, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was 3.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4 - 6.3). When persons who had been treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP; n = 126) were excluded, the adjusted HR for all-cause mortality with severe SDB vs no SDB was 3.8 (95% CI, 1.6 - 9.0), and the adjusted HR for cardiovascular mortality was 5.2 (95% CI, 1.4 - 19.2). Accounting for daytime sleepiness did not change these results.

"Our findings of a significant, high mortality risk with untreated SDB, independent of age, sex, and BMI [body mass index] underscore the need for heightened clinical recognition and treatment of SDB, indicated by frequent episodes of apnea and hypopnea, irrespective of symptoms of sleepiness," the study authors write.

Limitations of this study include lack of information on consistent CPAP use with time or effectiveness of air pressure level to prevent airway closure, lack of randomization, inability to determine how CPAP contributes to lower death rates, inability to determine how long participants had SDB before their baseline study, and cohort 95% white and all employed at recruitment.

"Although further studies are needed to quantify the proportion of mortality that could be lowered by prevention or treatment of SDB, the results of our study can be applied directly to current health care practice," the study authors conclude.

The National Institutes of Health supported this study. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Sleep. 2008;31:1071-1078.

I guess I had better attempt using the CPap again.......

B

I've been on the CPAP (we call it the Sleep-Happy machine since it lends to everybody in the house sleeping well) since late 2000. Got used to it right away and haven't missed a night or a nap using it since.

One of my three major medical conditions for which there is an outstanding solution.

I've copied the following article directly from our national newspaper The Australian and the link is below. It was written by Adam Cresswell and published on 2 Aug 08.


SLEEP apnea, a common disorder often dismissed as a mere nuisance, puts those with moderate to severe cases at up to six times the risk of dying.

An Australian study has found that obstructive sleep apnea -- in which the airways repeatedly constrict during sleep, starving the brain of oxygen -- increases the risk of death independently of other factors.

The authors, from Sydney's Woolcock Institute for Medical Research, said the findings meant a 40-year-old man with moderate sleep apnea stood the same risk of dying as a 57-year-old man without the condition.

Other experts said the study, published yesterday in the international journal Sleep, showed sleep apnea was a "deadly disease" that had to be taken more seriously. The condition is caused when tissues of the tongue and throat relax, closing the airways. Although the brain sends a message to wake up, such interruptions to sleep can happen as frequently as every couple of minutes, reducing sleep quality.

The study followed 380 men and women aged 40 to 65 in Busselton, Western Australia, for up to 14 years. The researchers assessed the extent of patients' sleep apnea, if any. After 14 years, 33 per cent of the 18 participants with mild to moderate sleep apnea had died, compared with 7.7 per cent of the 285 participants without the condition. Lead author Nathaniel Marshall said sleep apnea affected 25 per cent of middle-aged men and 9 per cent of middle-aged women.

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AussieBrian wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2008 at 5:42pm:

SLEEP apnea, a common disorder often dismissed as a mere nuisance, puts those with moderate to severe cases at up to six times the risk of dying.

This phrasing always astounds me. Aren't we all pretty much even up? ;D

I know Im lazy, but could someone link the article or information on sleep apnea and CH.  I just got a cPap a month ago and I could use a shock to get me to use it more.

Thank you.

EDIT:  I found the reference.  Thank you.

FramCire wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2008 at 12:23am:

I just got a cPap a month ago and I could use a shock to get me to use it more.

I've used all three mask systems (full nose-mouth, nose mask only, and nasal pillow), and I have found the nasal pillow system to be the most comfortable by far. Is that what you're using?

Nasal pillow.  In my sleep study (second visit), they let me try all three and the pillah was the one I liked best.

I am going to start tonight again.  I am trying to change all sleep schedules in my house.

wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2008 at 11:00am:

I've used all three mask systems (full nose-mouth, nose mask only, and nasal pillow), and I have found the nasal pillow system to be the most comfortable by far.

Hmmmm ... What is this nasal pillow?  I was only given the full mouth and nose mask.

I wonder if it is because I am a mouth breather?

Maybe once I grow up, I will get the surgery to correct my nasal passages so that I can breath easier through my nose ...  I'll look into it more ... once I grow up ...

Chuck

ClusterChuck wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2008 at 1:30pm:

Hmmmm ... What is this nasal pillow?  I was only given the full mouth and nose mask.

Yeah, you have to keep your mouth closed, which has become completely subconscious for me.

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I have a question...Hopefully, this is the right area to post it since its regarding sleep apnea.
I have never been diagnosed with having sleep apnea, but I am seriously wondering if that is why I've  been getting CH's.
I have noticed during this cycle when I first start to fall asleep I start to feel my throat closing up and it feels like its blocking air flow. It immeadiately wakes me up when this happens and freaks the sh**t out of me. I wasn't sure if it might be a side affect from the Cartia I am taking for the CH's.
Any of you that have sleep apena experience something like that, your throat closing up? I have always made a noise (moaning sorta of noise) and have held my breath. I know it sounds weird, but not sure how to explain it.

smitty wrote on Aug 5^th, 2008 at 1:55am:

I have a question...Hopefully, this is the right area to post it since its regarding sleep apnea. I have never been diagnosed with having sleep apnea, but I am seriously wondering if that is why I've  been getting CH's. I have noticed during this cycle when I first start to fall asleep I start to feel my throat closing up and it feels like its blocking air flow. It immeadiately wakes me up when this happens and freaks the sh**t out of me. I wasn't sure if it might be a side affect from the Cartia I am taking for the CH's. Any of you that have sleep apena experience something like that, your throat closing up? I have always made a noise (moaning sorta of noise) and have held my breath. I know it sounds weird, but not sure how to explain it.

Sounds like enough to schedule a sleep study, if I were you. Check this out and tell me if you don't agree:

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That pretty much sounds like what I am feeling at night. Its pretty scary to me.