If you’ve just been diagnosed with sleep apnea or you’re going through the process of being diagnosed with sleep apnea, you may feel completely alone. This is completely normal – sleep apnea can be a very isolating problem, especially if you have a lot of trouble with feeling sleepy throughout the day. Sleep apnea can also leave you feeling depressed, anxious and irritable, so it’s no wonder that you could feel all on your own.
However, that’s far from the case – a huge number of people all over the world suffer from sleep apnea, probably far more than you think. Read some of the statistics below for more information on sleep apnea around the world.
- Sleep apnea is thought to occur in 20 million Americans to some extent. That means that one in fifteen Americans is suffering from sleep apnea in some form or another, which equals to just under 7%.
- Two to four percent of Americans are thought to be suffering with undiagnosed sleep apnea. This equals to around 1 in 50 individuals suffering with sleep apnea.
- Research indicates an increased risk of sleep apnea in African Americans compared to Caucasian individuals. One study showed that 17% of African Americans tested were suffering with sleep apnea, compared to 8% of Caucasians tested.
- Sleep apnea is far more common in those over the age of 40 – but research has indicated that a whopping 50% of all sleep apnea cases occur in individuals over the age of 40.
- 24% of men are thought to suffer from sleep apnea to some extent, compared to:
- 9% of all women. However, after menopausal age, the percentage of women suffering with sleep apnea increases to around the same level as men.
- 50% of sleep apnea sufferers have a snoring problem.
- Studies have indicated that bed-partners of sleep apnea sufferers actually lose up to one hours’ sleep a night. Over the week, that adds up to a whopping seven hours’ worth of sleep debt.
- Only 4% of men and 2% of women suffering with sleep apnea meet the diagnostic criteria for sleep apnea – that is, 10 or more apnoeic episodes an hour.
- Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common of all sleep disorders.
- Sleep apnea sufferers are six times more likely to be involved in a fatal car accident.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stated that 100,000 deaths per year are caused by drowsy driving.
- 39,000 cardiovascular deaths per year are thought to be related to sleep apnea.
- Half of all hospital patients diagnosed with hypertension are also thought to suffer from sleep apnea. Also, half of all sleep apnea sufferers could face a diagnosis of hypertension.
- Those with untreated sleep apnea are four times more likely to have a stroke than those without sleep apnea.
- Those with untreated sleep apnea are three times more likely to suffer with heart disease than those without sleep apnea.
- Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea, accounting for 85% of all sleep apnea cases.
- Central sleep apnea accounts for around 0.4% of all sleep apnea cases, where mixed sleep apnea (a combination of central and obstructive sleep apnea) accounts for around 14.6% of all sleep apnea cases.
Although these statistics are a little bit scary, do not worry. With properly managed sleep apnea, you can drastically reduce your risk of all problems associated with apnea – including heart disease, lung disease, high cholesterol, risk of stroke etc. As soon as you begin treatment for sleep apnea with CPAP, an oral appliance or any other form of therapy, it’s important to stick with that therapy. Don’t stop using the therapy at any point, because if you’re not using it, you’ll still suffer with apnoeic episodes and all of the symptoms associated with them.
For more information, go to http://www.apneaguide.com/sleep-apnea-statistics/.