Sleep Apnea and Men’s Health

While we at Sleep Group Solutions stress that obstructive sleep apnea can impact any demographic, men are afflicted with the condition in a majority. Statistically, around 24-31% of males and 9-21% of females experience the condition at some point in their lives.  As always, it’s important to consider the individual when assessing or treating anything, as anyone can exhibit “atypical” symptoms while not showing more obvious signs of a condition.

What to Keep in Mind:

 

– OSA impacts men more two to three times more often than women.

– Not every man who has sleep apnea is overweight or particularly unhealthy, with many star athletes suffering from the conditions.

– Men are more likely to experience the “classic” symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea such as excessively loud snoring, gasping in the middle of the night, and daily fatigue.

– Certain symptoms vary in women than in men, such as neck size (>17”, >16” in women).

– Hypoxia at night is known to cause a decreased testosterone level, low sperm count, and erectile dysfunction.

– Men are more likely to experience a higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) than women.

Conditions related to obstructive sleep apnea that affect men at a higher percentage must also be taken into consideration, such as heart disease, which causes 1 in 4 male deaths in the US (321,000 a year). By the age of 45, high blood pressure is more likely to be experienced by men than women.

The impact on mental health that sleep apnea takes on someone is also worth stressing, considering that depression and personal stress is unfortunately often ignored or taken more lightly in men. Even without the potential personal ramifications of being possibly isolated from your partner due to snoring (many sleep apnea sufferers find themselves sleeping alone), a lack of sleep takes its psychological toll. Certain studies suggest that more than 40 percent of people with obstructive OSA had some depressive symptoms.

Men of every age should take care of themselves and encouraged to seek medical help when they think something is wrong. That is why dental professionals should evaluate ANYONE bringing up snoring or chronic fatigue during evaluations for sleep apnea, and open the conversation about sleep health.

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

 

Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. (2017, August 23). Retrieved from CDC

 

Lin, C. M., Davidson, T. M., & Ancoli-Israel, S. (2008, December). Retrieved from NCBI

 

Bixler, E. O., Vgontzas, A. N., Ten, T., Tyson, K., & Kales, A. (1998, January). Effects of age on sleep apnea in men: I. Prevalence and severity. Retrieved from NCBI

 

Ejaz, S. M., Khawaja, I. S., Bhatia, S., & Hurwitz, T. D. (2011, August). Retrieved from NCBI

 

Sleep Statistics – Research & Treatments | American Sleep Assoc. (n.d.). Retrieved from the American Sleep Association