Sleep Apnoea Can Look Different For Women Than Men ― Here's How

From uk.news.yahoo.com

If you’re a woman who always needs way longer in bed than your male counterparts, you’re not alone ― research suggests we may genuinely need more sleep.

So it’s a shame that one of the most common sleep conditions, which sometimes prevents us from reaching deep sleep in the first place, is so often underdiagnosed when compared to men.

Speaking to HuffPost UK, engineer and inventor Professor Esther Rodriguez-Villegas, founder of medtech start-up Acurable, says: “Sleep apnoea is significantly under-diagnosed in women, primarily due to the different way symptoms present across genders.”

                                                                                                                     Oleg Breslavtsev via Getty Images

What is sleep apnoea?

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a condition that affects your ability to breathe as you sleep.

“Traditional indicators for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness, are more commonly associated with men, which makes healthcare providers more likely to consider OSA in male patients,” Dr Rodriguez-Villegas says.

“Women, however, often present with more subtle and varied symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, headaches, and mood disturbances,” she adds.

“These signs are often attributed to hormonal changes or life stages, especially around pregnancy and menopause, rather than investigated further for sleep disorders.”

So, women may be given inappropriate treatment for what doctors think are hormonal conditions ― thus worsening the OSA, leading her to try to get more of the wrong medication, which then worsens the condition again.

“The result is a widening gap in diagnosis and treatment, leaving many women with untreated OSA at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, depression, and other serious health complications,” Dr Rodriguez-Villegas told HuffPost UK.

This is especially concerning given that OSA carries special risks for pregnant women, the professor shared, potentially leading to complications like pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, and gestational diabetes.

What are the signs for women?

Dr Rodriguez-Villegas says OSA can present in women in the following ways:

• Fatigue or low energy levels during the day

• Insomnia or frequent night-time awakenings

• Morning headaches

• Mood disturbances, such as anxiety or depression

• Difficulty concentrating or memory problems

• Subtle snoring or pauses in breathing during sleep (often less severe than in men)

“Unlike men, who may experience louder snoring and more overt daytime sleepiness, women’s symptoms are often milder and may not directly suggest sleep apnoea, leading to lower rates of diagnosis,” she says. 

Dr Rodriguez-Villegas stated that regular, informed testing, especially for women over 45, could help to even out the imbalance.

But she stresses that improving diagnoses can only come about if we take a “comprehensive approach,” including better education and expanding screening guidelines.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sleep-apnoea-look-different-women-070009615.html