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Are you plagued by tiredness? Do others say you snore? Are you at least slightly overweight? If so, you could have sleep apnea.

If all these are true, don’t wait! Sleep apnea could be shortening your life. Have your doctor prescribe a sleep study to find out whether you have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where you are holding your breath and then gasping for air man times a night. Here’s one reason why you shouldn’t wait: it will shorten your life. You are at increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular disease including aneurism. Here’s the other reason why you shouldn’t wait: there’s treatment.

Here is what happens in sleep apnea: the airway collapses when you breathe in. Fatty tissue lining the airway makes the airway less elastic. So sleep apnea is a condition caused by overweight, generally speaking. Snoring typically accompanies it.

The airway collapses. Then the blood oxygen level falls. Blood pressure goes way up as a result. The sleeper, struggling to breathe, starts to wake up. Nearly waking up, the sleeper is able to complete the breath. Then he falls asleep again. The cycle can be repeated many times per minute. If a stopped breath lasts 10 seconds, it is defined as sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea wears out your cardiovascular system because of the constant cycle of high blood pressure. It also shreds your rest because of the continual near-waking required to keep breathing.

Oddly enough, you may not even be aware that you hold your breath while sleeping. Only the telltale tiredness will tip you off that you are in fact sleep-deprived.

The spiking blood pressure many times each night will bring you closer to heart attack or stroke.

What to do?

An effective treatment method has been developed over the past few decades. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device consists of a face mask, an air hose, and a fan in side a box. The fan supplies pressure through the hose to your airway. It’s not too much pressure–you can easily breathe out — but when you breathe in, it boosts the airway pressure enough to prevent collapse.

Well, nothing’s perfect, and some people report their masks are not comfortable. But there are plenty of options on the market.

Another downside is that you have to wear it whenever you lie down to sleep. If you go traveling or camping, you still have to wear it.

The fan makes a noise, but it’s a white noise that may actually help you fall asleep.

So, do a quick risk analysis. Is the risk of early death worth the inconvenience of wearing a mask and finding an electric outlet whenever you fall asleep?

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