Sleep apnea is a dangerous condition affecting 17-20% of adults across America. It occurs when you experience repeated, brief interruptions in your breathing while you sleep. It is common for people with sleep apnea to experience more than 5 breathing disturbances an hour, and more than 30 interruptions per night. Sleep apnea is typically caused when your soft tissue collapses and blocks your airway. When you suffer from sleep apnea, you are essentially suffocating in your sleep.
There are several risk factors to be aware of. If you are at a higher risk of sleep apnea, you may want to go for a sleep evaluation as a precautionary measure.
In general, men are two times as likely as women to develop sleep apnea. In addition, there are certain factors that increase a woman’s likelihood of developing sleep apnea:
- Risk for sleep apnea rises significantly after age 50, and 25% of women over the age of 65 have sleep apnea
- Women going through menopause are 3.5 times more likely to have sleep apnea due to a decrease in hormonal protection
- Approximately 14% of women between the ages of 55-70 have a severe form of sleep apnea
- Approximately 84% of women with high blood pressure may have sleep apnea
- Obesity also significantly increases a woman’s risk of sleep apnea
If you think you may be suffering from sleep apnea, Dr. Heather Fleschler can help. She offers a wide range of sleep apnea treatment options to keep your airway open and restore proper breathing during sleep.
Please contact Dr. Heather Fleschler using the form at the side of the page or call (713) 660-6500 today to schedule a sleep apnea evaluation. Dr. Fleschler serves patients in the Houston, Texas areas of West University, Bellaire, Meyerland, and River Oaks.
