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The study also showed I had some obstructive sleep apnea OSA, in which the airway narrows, especially when the muscles relax in sleep.
People with OSA stop breathing momentarily until a lack of oxygen alerts the brain, which wakes them up with a gasp. These mini arousals can occur as often as 70 times an hour, leaving the sufferer exhausted and at risk for heart disease, stroke and atherosclerosis.
An estimated 4% of men and 2% of women have OSA. One telltale sign is having a shirt-collar size larger than 17 inches. Another sign is loud snoring. The most effective treatment is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine or CPAP machine, which blows air through the nose to keep the airway open. Other remedies include a dental appliance that helps prop the airway open and losing weight, which helps reduce the airway blockage.
These notes from an online article in WSJ:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124451280076496767.html
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