Mild Sleep Apnea? – no problem! Don’t be so sure!

(This is the twenty-third post in a series about breathing science and breath training exercises to improve your health. The next post will report on other important research that was reported at the recent SLEEP conference in Boston – stay tuned).

BreatheSimple was first conceived at Penn State University with cooperation with physicians at the Hershey Medical Center. So, it was a pleasure to learn about the latest research coming from this highly regarded research facility at the International Sleep Conference in Boston last week, http://bit.ly/2sPMJwZ .

Dr. Alexndros N. Vgontzas, professor of psychiatry, and Dr. Yun Li, postdoctoral scholar, presented data involving the Penn State Adult Cohort, a random general population sample of 1,741 adults. Their studies suggest that even mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea is associated with increased risks of developing hypertension and diabetes. Specifically, even mild sleep apnea may increase the risk of hypertension leading to cardiovascular disease by four times and moderate sleep apnea may increase the risk of diabetes by almost 3 times.

The implications are clear: early detection and intervention are needed to prevent future chronic diseases. Those suffering from even early stages of chronic snoring and sleep disturbed breathing should be aware of these risks.

If you think you are suffering from mild sleep apnea which is often under-diagnosed, you should discuss your options with your physician. You may be advised on certain life-style changes. Another option to consider, especially at the early stages, is breath training which has been shown in trials to be effective in alleviating symptoms. Exercises have to be undertaken diligently daily for a few weeks to gain full benefit, a small price to pay for sound sleep.. You can learn more at www.breathesimple.com.