Can Your Sleep Affect Your Heart Health?

Score your Sleepiness Scale to see if the way your sleep may double or triple your chance of heart attack!

Snoring may not be an innocent habit.  Snoring is a sign of breathing difficulty caused by partial obstruction of the breathing tract.  Apnea is defined as the absence of breath for 10 seconds or more.

Recurring apneic interruptions in breathing can significantly affect one's health.  Many individuals are not aware of their snoring nor the apneic events that may be occurring.  Frequent obstructive sleep apneas (OSA) can triple the chance of heart attack & stroke.

The Sleepiness Scale (ESS) takes only a few minutes.  Each of the eight situations is scored from 0 to 3.  According to research, snorers who show no significant obstructive sleep apnea had an average score of 6.5.  Those with OSA scored an average greater than 10 on the ESS.  If a person scores 11 or higher on the ESS, a  sleep study is recommended.  The ESS is not as helpful in screening for UARS.  So if you snore frequently and often experience daytime fatique consult your healthcare professional even though the ESS score may be below 11.