Sleep apnea can lead to heart trouble and shorten life, reports the Harvard Heart Letter
People afflicted with sleep apnea temporarily stop breathing many times a night. In those with the most common kind, obstructive sleep apnea, the soft tissue of the palate or pharynx completely closes off the airway. The brain, sensing a drop in oxygen, sends an emergency “Breathe now!” signal that briefly wakens the sleeper and makes him or her gasp for air. This signal fires up the same stress hormones that go into overdrive when you are angry or frightened. They make the heart beat faster and boost blood pressure. They stoke inflammation, a key player in heart disease. They can damage blood vessels and increase the blood’s tendency to clot, a root cause of heart attack and stroke.
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