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Article: FOCUS@HEALTH; Sleep apnea a primary factor for hypertension
- Article from:
- Filipino Reporter
- Article date:
- October 30, 2003
- Author:
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Chua, Philip S.
Filipino Reporter
10-30-2003
SNORING and sleep apnea. The theme for this week's column.
What is sleep apnea?
Usually associated with snoring, sleep apnea means the cessation of
breathing during sleep. This breath-holding initially lasts for 10 seconds
and progresses to 20 to 30 seconds, and each episode is immediately
followed by gasping for air. This cycle could repeat itself several times
(20 to 100 times per hour) the whole night long. The snorer is totally
oblivious of all this and only the roommate is aware of this bothersome
snoring and scary sleep apnea.
How prevalent is sleep apnea?
The incidence is about 2 percent among middle-aged women and 4 percent
among men of that age ...