It turns out that women are just as much at risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea as men. Sleep apnea has long been thought to afflict men at a much higher rate but a study from Sweden showed that the sleep disorder was common in both sexes.

The study looked at a random sample of 10,000 women aged 20 to 70 and gathered data on 400 of them. The subjects also had an overnight sleep study.

Amazingly, half of the women were diagnosed with sleep apnea. While most had mild sleep apnea, 20% had moderate cases and 6% were severe. There were links between sleep apnea and blood pressure, body weight and age. The older and heavier they were and the higher the blood pressure, the more likely the women were to have sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is dangerous if not treated and has been linked to sudden cardiac death, heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Treatment using an oral appliance is effective and comfortable. Find out more about the easy way to treat your sleep apnea by contacting Columbus sleep apnea dentist Dr. Mark Levy today at 614-476-6696.