How is obstructive sleep apnea in women connected to cancer and why doesn’t it get diagnosed?

In recent studies, it is observed that women above 65 years of age are seen to suffer from cancer and it also suggests that one of the top reasons could be sleep apnea. Lack of proper sleep at night which results in low blood oxygen levels in the body in cases of sleep apnea may have a large impact on the generation of cancer cells.

Some of the commonly seen symptoms of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) are snoring, disturbed sleep, gasping for oxygen, and extreme daytime tiredness.

It is also seen that cancer is more common with women than with men and almost 1 out of 6 women are even diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Some of the common reasons why they are not diagnosed with OSA are:

  1. Most of the women do not seek the assistance from a sleep specialist or visit a sleep center but rather speak to their medical practitioners and their symptoms get ignored.
  2. It is not very nice for women to talk about their snoring or loud sounds during sleep.
  3. They may not report the correct symptoms which should be fatigue, insomnia, mood disturbances, headaches, lack of energy, depression, restless leg syndrome.
  4. Women get prescribed more to medications rather than asked to undergo a sleep study.
  5. Men usually do not observe their bed partners as much as women do to theirs.

Hence, getting a good night’s sleep is more important than what you may think. Consult sleep apnea experts if you need to get your or your bed partner’s sleep issues sorted. Undergo a sleep disorder test at the earliest with any of the sleep centers near you. You can contact us at www.sleepclinicofohio.com to know more about it and live a better life.