Quality of Life - Sleep Apnea.jpg

The Role of Medical Technology in Quality of Life - Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a high-cost chronic condition that affects 1 in 4 American adults.1Roughly 85% of cases are undiagnosed.2

SLEEP APNEA CAUSES YOUR BODY TO STOP BREATHING WHILE YOU SLEEP, BECAUSE OF: 

  • A blocked upper airway, known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); or
  • The brain stops sending signals to breathe, known as central sleep apnea (CSA).

UNTREATED SLEEP APNEA IS A POTENTIALLY FATAL CONDITION WITH HARMFUL SHORT AND LONG TERM EFFECTS: 

  • A 15-fold increase in traffic accident risk3 costing Americans a total estimated $15.9 billion/year;4
  • Increased work disability claims, absenteeism and presenteeism (showing up to work tired); and5
  • Increased risk of life-threatening diseases like high blood pressure,6 heart disease7 and type 2 diabetes.8

SLEEP APNEA IS TREATABLE

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a bedside machine that gently delivers pressurized air through a mask to keep your upper airway open and help prevent apneas. That leads to:

  • Uninterrupted, restorative sleep;
  • Improved daytime energy, alertness, and mood;9and
  • Up to thousands of dollars in health care savings. In one analysis, people saved an average $6,000 in both the first and second years on CPAP.10

[1]  Peppard PE et al. Am J Epidemiol 2013
[2]  Young T et al. Sleep 1997
[3]  Horstmann S et al. Sleep 2000
[4]  Sassani A et al. Sleep 2004
[5]  Sjösten N et al. Chest 2009
[6]  Lavie P, Herer P and Hoffstein V. Br Med J 2000
[7]  Sharar E et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2001
[8]  Aronsohn RS et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2010
[9]  Breus MJ. WebMD 2006
[10] Hoffman B et al. J Occup Environ Med 2010