Original Article at:
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/living/16065061.htm

Nov. 21, 2006

Sleep apnea is risk factor for your heart

Here's another reason to take those complaints about your snoring seriously: New research at St. Louis University finds that people with sleep apnea could be at risk for developing a particular kind of deadly heart rhythm.

Doctors looked at 134 patients with coronary heart disease who had not been diagnosed with a sleep disorder. In the patients who had a type of irregular heartbeat known as ventricular premature contraction, more than 40 percent also had severe sleep apnea -- and didn't realize it.

The researchers found that apnea seemed to exacerbate ventricular premature contraction, especially during the dream -- or REM -- stage of sleep. While many are able to live with the mild form of the problem, apnea may aggravate it, leading to sudden death.

"There's less oxygen being pumped through the body in REM than in other stages of sleep, and this can bring on arrhythmia," said Dr. Raj Bhalodia, the principal investigator. "The brain is less alert, which is why people don't simply wake up to solve the problem."

Apnea is caused by the collapse of the upper windpipe during sleep, leading to frequent sudden starts and stoppages of breathing during sleep. It is commonly -- but not exclusively -- found in people who are overweight.