Your Heart & Sleep Disorders

While you may pass off snoring or feelings of excessive daytime sleepiness as a normal part of life, the truth is these could be the first symptoms of a sleep disorder—which affects more than your ability to get a good night’s rest.

Harvard University researchers and the Association of Professional Sleep Societies have highlighted a link between obstructive sleep apnea—a common sleep disorder that results in interrupted breathing patterns during sleep—and cardiovascular disease.

Sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease take on a cause-and-effect scenario: A sleep disorder can worsen heart disease while heart disease can interrupt sleep.

When a woman with sleep apnea is asleep, her breathing patterns can constantly be interrupted. This affects the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which are closely regulated by the heart. An irregular heartbeat, weakened heart muscle, or even reduced blood supply to the heart can occur as a result.

If your sleep is suffering, evaluation of your sleep function can save both your sleep and your heart.

For more information about Englewood Hospital’s Center for Sleep Medicine, call (201) 894-3154.