|
The Secret Behind the Snoring: Uncovering Health Risks for Women Who Snore (abridged version of article by Thomas M. Heffron, Northwest Women’s Magazine)
What happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom. At least that seems to be the attitude of many women with a secret that they struggle to keep silent in the night: The men in their lives aren’t the only ones who snore. “In women, especially in older women, the fact that they snore carries some degree of embarrassment, almost a stigma,” said Dr. Amy Aronsky, medical director of The Center for Sleep Disorders at St. John Medical Center. Giving the silent treatment to the problem of snoring, however, can put women’s heath at risk by ignoring a much greater danger. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that affects about four percent of men and two percent of women, and most adults who have it are undiagnosed. Loud and frequent snoring is one symptom of sleep apnea, and the hormone changes that occur during menopause put women at a much greater risk of developing it. Sleep apnea occurs when soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the upper airway during sleep. As a result, breathing can stop hundreds of times per night, ruining sleep quality and leading to severe health complications such as heart disease and stroke. For the millions of women with sleep apnea who remain undiagnosed, Aronsky believes that it is time for a wake-up call. There is hope, she says, and they can find help. “Women are different from men, and we don’t have to accept feeling tired,” she said. “You don’t have to just say, ‘That’s the way it is; this is a part of getting older.’”
|
|
The Center for Sleep Disorders |