A serious condition, sleep apnea symptoms range from loud snoring to high blood pressure.

Sleep apnea (or Sleep Aponea)is a sleeping disorder where the sufferer stops breathing, multiple times during the night. Technically you are considered to have sleep apnea if you stop breathing for 10 seconds or more at least five times per hour or thirty times per night, but for some sufferers this may occur hundreds of times per night.

The effects are far reaching with research suggesting that sufferers with the condition are seven times more likely to have a motor vehicle accident. And over the long term, sleep apnea is associated with a greater risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Many people don’t even know they have the condition. It is only brought to light by a partner, or when presenting for other conditions such as loud snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, morning head aches or more serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease.

The best indicator of sleep apnea are the symptoms of loud snoring combined with day time sleepiness. Correct diagnosis usually requires overnight observation at a sleep clinic. Although more recently there has been the development of test packs that you can use at home, such as the Sleep Strip. These are only available through a physician.

Sleep apnea symptoms are defined as obstructive sleep apnea , or central sleep apnea or mixed. Mixed is a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea.

In the USA alone it is estimated that 20 million people have sleep apnea symptoms and may suffer from the condition. It is estimated that one in four male adults may suffer from sleep apnea and as many as one in eleven adult women.

Sleep Apnea has only being recognised since the mid 1950's so there is still little understanding of the exact how and why of the condition.

There is no one reason for the condition so Sleep Apnea, like snoring, is likely to be a symptom of a range of imbalances in the body.

A recent research report claims that 1.14% of obstructive sleep apnea patients may have hypothyroidism, a condition of the thyroid that can be caused by too much or too little iodine (among other things). That is one in 90 patients may get relief from their sleep apnea by treating their thyroid problem. It is interesting to note that the symptoms of sleep apnea and hypothyroidism can be similar.

As research continues one might expect more and more reports of sleep apnea being cured through the treatment of other conditions.

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