Number One Health Problem in U.S.

[roster]

I just talked to a buddy and, knowing I have sleep apnea, he was eager to tell me about his visit to his heart doctor last week. This heart doc said that sleep apnea is the number one health problem in the U.S. and he is scheduling a sleep study for my buddy.

Sleep apnea causes heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and depression. Don't you think that could make it number one?

Glad to finally see more doctors becoming enlightened about sleep apnea!

[araminta]

Sleep apnea causes heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and depression.

Just curious, according to what study has it been shown that Sleep Apnea causes type 2 diabetes?
I'd be eager to read more about that topic.

[DME Daddy]

Just do a google search for "apnea diabetes" then click the news button at the top of the search results.

[Goofproof]

I'd go for the number 1 health problem to be overweight, starting in grade school. We aren't even close to seeing what problems the future will have from that. Jim

[JoyD.]

Rooster wrote: Sleep apnea causes heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and depression. Don't you think that could make it number one? Glad to finally see more doctors becoming enlightened about sleep apnea!

Wow . . . that has to be right on!! Thank God medicine is BEGINNING to recognize its prevalence and it's deadly potential !!!I remember back when I was in pharmaceutical sales, calling on doctors, and talking about insomnia with them. My company had an excellent (I thought at the time) educational video about sleep disorders that we gave to medical professionals. I had the impression from the things I was exposed to that SA was an uncommon disorder . . . boy was that WRONG. In fact, now I realize that I probably had SLEEP APNEA MYSELF EVEN WAY BACK THEN!! Who wudda thunk it . . . I surely didn't.

There needs to be way more public education (not to mention physician awareness)!

Joy

[roster]

I'd go for the number 1 health problem to be overweight, starting in grade school. We aren't even close to seeing what problems the future will have from that. Jim

You might be right about that. It's our diets of course. The mantra has been that fast food should be avoided - the damn press gets on a topic and it becomes just that - their mantra. So we sheep go to sit-down restaurants instead of fast food. Guess what? The meals served at sit-down restaurants have considerably more carbs/calories than a super-sized meal from McDonald's!!!!

What about at home? Well we are bringing home from the grocery story heavily processed foods high in carbs.

What about cooking from scratch? Check out the recipe books we are using. The recipe sizes have all increased over the last thirty years at the same time the average number of people per household has decreased!

I'd go for the number 1 health problem to be overweight, starting in grade school. We aren't even close to seeing what problems the future will have from that. Jim

Another comment: My BMI is 23 (25 pre-CPAP) and I have a difficult case of obstructive sleep apnea. That BMI biases me to see sleep apnea as a separate issue from obesity.

[DreamStalker]

I think all these conditions (OSA, CVD, and type 2) are interrelated through the hormonal imbalances. After all, you have to remember that the DNA for human organisms never intended for us to live past our 40s. Most of us are already living on borrowed time ... so enjoy!

[araminta]

Just do a google search for "apnea diabetes" then click the news button at the top of the search results.

thanks! that was helpful. i never used that News feature before.

[Wulfman]

Sleep apnea causes heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and depression.

Just curious, according to what study has it been shown that Sleep Apnea causes type 2 diabetes?
I'd be eager to read more about that topic.

Have at it.

Den


Diabetes & Sleep Apnea

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/a ... 2_Diabetes

http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20050301 ... e-diabetes

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110369.php

http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/fc0b2.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/ ... ekey=90097

http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers ... 26-29.html

[Gerryk]

My BMI was either 22 or 23 before cpap. With all the problems I have had with my machine I seem to be more tired now that I am on cpap. I have gone on a successful diet too since starting cpap and being more tire. I have gained about 50 pounds in four months on this see food diet.
I am beginning to wonder if I was better off before cpap? All I had were bruises on my side from my wife and terrible headaches every morning.
Gerry

[Goofproof]

I never had any health problem until I got married. Then I woke up, with a rib missing, and my side sown up, and a terriable nagging in my ears. Jim

It's been downhill every since.

[SaltLakeJan]

Hi to all,
I have been following links between Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, Sleep Apnea for years. The thought of a possible connection presented when I was in a group planning a state-wide Fibromyalgia Conference. Seven women, unknown to each other, and from different locations were chatting about our mutual condition-Fibromyalgia. When we ordered lunch, we discovered all had Diabetes. I thought it too much of a coincidence. This was in 2000, I had just been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea & was considering UPPP Surgery, and asked if anyone was familiar with the surgery. Five of the seven women had sleep apnea.

National Institutes of Health, opened a study in August 2008 for study of related conditions. I was most interested in the including of Sleep Apnea, Diabetes & Fibromyalgia It was in the NIHC Diabetes Digestive & Kidney Disease studies and Clinical Trials section. A qualifier must have a BMI of 29-55 (indicitive of disease origins) and have chronic sleep deprivation. This particular study is considering related causal connections to a laundry list of what can ail the human body, including Sleep Apnea. It can be located at ClinicalTrials.Gov identifier N.C.T00261898.

The NIH has other studies linking Sleep Apnea to heart disease, High Blood Pressure, etc.

It appears when the body fails in one part, that can cause a defect in another part and so on. I am interested in connecting with anyone who is also studying possible connections.

Some of the NIH studies link obesity to other conditions. I have managed to pick-up my own collection of diseases, but I was slender until about a year ago when Sleep Apnea presented itself again. However, I have picked-up 15 pounds in one year. With the onset of Apnea, I developed a hunger that plagues meday and night - Anyone else have that problem.

Great Topic Rooster,
Jan

[roster]

My BMI was either 22 or 23 before cpap. With all the problems I have had with my machine I seem to be more tired now that I am on cpap. I have gone on a successful diet too since starting cpap and being more tire. I have gained about 50 pounds in four months on this see food diet.
I am beginning to wonder if I was better off before cpap? All I had were bruises on my side from my wife and terrible headaches every morning.
Gerry

Gerry,

Have you started a new post indicating the details of how things are going for you? Such as sleeping habits, comorbidities, results from Encore Viewer, and any other observations that seem pertinent? Maybe a fresh and comprehensive look at your CPAP therapy by some of the more experienced members could give you some clues. They sure helped me a lot in the early days of my therapy.

Sorry if you have already posted and I missed it.

Regards,

[Gale Hawkins]

I never had any health problem until I got married. Then I woke up, with a rib missing, and my side sown up, and a terriable nagging in my ears. Jim

It's been downhill every since.

For which one of you?

[rested gal]

This heart doc said that sleep apnea is the number one health problem in the U.S. and he is scheduling a sleep study for my buddy.

That is so good to hear, rooster...that your friend's cardiologist truly understands the connection between sleep apnea and heart problems.

In my opinion, when all of these things happen:

1. EVERY cardiologist routinely orders a sleep study or some kind of sleep apnea screening for EVERY one of their patients.

2. EVERY family practitioner routinely orders an overnight recording pulse oximeter test for their patients, no matter what the patient has come to the doctor for -- regular checkup, flu, hangnail, whatever!
All doctors should actively look for OSA. Routinely. In every patient -- old, young, overweight, thin -- every patient. Looking for OSA just as routinely as they look for high blood pressure.

3. EVERY nurse in EVERY hospital routinely notes "snores during sleep" in the chart, and EVERY doctor who sees that notation immediately regards it as a huge red flag for a dangerous condition and schedules the patient to undergo a diagnostic or screening test for sleep apnea.

4. EVERY person is made aware through massive public service announcements that snoring is a symptom of a life threatening breathing disorder. Snoring isn't funny. Snoring isn't just an annoyance. Snoring isn't something that warrants a poke in the ribs by the elbow of the sleeping partner any more than you would kick someone who has fallen down, become unconscious and is making terrible labored breathing sounds...telling them to "Stop that!"

When the level of awareness about the danger of OSA causes those four things to happen, that's when a major step forward will be taken, imho.

There's no telling how much health care costs (billions?) and damage to lives (millions?) could be reduced in one fell swoop if Obstructive Sleep Apnea were recognized for what it is. OSA is largely undiagnosed (most doctors don't even think of it or look for it) BREATHING DISORDER. It's not just about "sleep." It's about lack of sufficient oxygen during the muscle relaxation of sleep damaging the entire body -- heart, brain, every organ, every cell.

That smart cardiologist you spoke of, rooster... he's going the right direction! Let's hope more doctors smarten up faster and faster!

Oh, and let's hope the current work on an implantable nerve stimulator for treating OSA is successful.
viewtopic.php?p=343232#p343232
What interesting info you found when you started that topic, rooster!

'Cause diagnosing OSA is one thing (a crucial first step, of course) but treating it is a whole other ball game. "Pacemaker" vs machine/mask/hose would be much more acceptable to soooo many people when it comes to treating their sleep disordered breathing.