There was a report earlier this week in the New York Times about women with sleep apnea having a higher risk of dementia as they get older. The report goes on to state that there were 298 women that took place in a study which proved that women with sleep apnea had a nearly 50% risk of dementia over those who did not have the sleep disorder. All women were healthy, with an average age of 80. Of the 298, 115 had the sleep disorder. This study took place over a period of five years.

Those that have followed this blog for any length of time know that I have sleep apnea. I use a CPAP so as to stop the interrupted breathing during the course of my sleep. There are times (such as right now) where I go through periods of waking up and not being able to go back to sleep. This can last up to two weeks. I am now entering my second week. Regardless of sleeping or not, I keep the CPAP mask on for as long as I am in bed. But, the focus of this blog entry is on symptoms of sleep apnea in women. Let's go to that point now.

Basically, the same symptoms of sleep apnea in men also appear in women. However, sleep apnea symptoms can be less noticeable in women. Women are more apt to get sleep apnea after menopause. Of course, snoring can be a good indication of sleep apnea in both women and men. That was what led me to getting tested for sleep apnea. My wife (now ex-wife) told me I was snoring horribly at night. I had no idea about that. Of course, there is sleepiness during the day, frequent urination at night for both women and men. There is also the accompanying fatigue factor during the day and, worst of all, the mother of all headaches. I have never been one who had headaches. But, that was something else that caught my attention. I was tested for sleep apnea and found that I had medium to severe sleep apnea. I urge all women and men to get testing if you have any of the symptoms described here.

 Subscribe in a reader