Sleep apnea in women is often misdiagnosed and it’s likely underdiagnosed as well.
A writer with the condition explains the gender gap.
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On top of my job loss, this new development made me feeleven morehumiliated, unattractive, and helpless.
Women werent supposed to snore their spouses out of the roomwasnt it supposed to be the other way around?
Harvard professor of epidemiology and sleep medicine
This woman absolutely didnotsquare with my idea of sleep apneas human profile.
Youre working too hard.
Youre eating too much.
And lo and behold, they had something very treatable.
And, like many conditions, women with sleep apnea were under-recognized.
They were not referred.
Theres good data on that.
So I think those very early reports that said 8:1 or 10:1 were due to strong referral biases.
That may actually result in women appearing to have insomnia.
Harvard professor of epidemiology and sleep medicine
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They also, because of their skin pigmentation, are less likely to desaturate.
So I think theres a real possibility of underestimating sleep apnea that becomes particularly concerning in Black women.
Christopher Winter, MD, neurologist, sleep medicine specialist, and author of the bestsellerThe Sleep Solution.
The other risk factors include things like secondhand smoke, air pollution, [and] allergies.
For a long time, it seemed like an okay stereotype, Dr. Winter says.
Youd see a 300-pound truck driver and think, I bet that person has sleep apnea.
But when a lean 36-year-old woman snores, that just wasnt the immediate thought.
Like most stereotypes, it was initially helpful, then it just became the definition.
Id been a regular runner and practiced yoga, so I considered myself pretty fit.
Neither admonishment was actually backed by data.
Weight does not explain sleep apnea in a sizable proportion of people, Dr. Redline says.
Nonetheless, researchers are continuing to examine this question.
It feels like Im closing in on the end here.
I hate glasses, but my God, theyre life-changing.
(Poehler even portrayed a character who wore a CPAP in the Netflix movieWine Country.)
But be warned: Suspecting you may actually have apnea is only half the battle.
2008 Dec;12(6):481-96. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2007.11.003.
Epub 2008 Oct 31.
PMID: 18951050; PMCID: PMC2642982.
Gender differences in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a clinical study of 1166 patients.
2004 Oct;98(10):984-9. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2004.03.002.
2024 Aug 1:S2352-7218(24)00133-5. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2024.06.004.
Epub ahead of print.
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