Do You Have Asthma or Sleep Apnea? Pay Attention to Both

The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a style that found a connection between asthma and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). These two conditions often exist alongside one another and knowing this valuable information can potentially help patients diagnosed for one condition remain conscientious about the development of the other condition. Also, the treatment of asthma or sleep apnea can improve your health and decrease the effect of the other condition.

The study followed nearly 550 participants, all of whom are employees of the State of Wisconsin. Out of these participants, 81 of them had sleep apnea and many of these sufferers had asthma. After following the people across 4-year intervals, 17% of the participants with OSA were diagnosed with new cases of asthma.

In addition, patients with diagnosed asthma regularly reported feeling like they were sleepy in the middle of the day on a regular basis. It is worth noting that 27% of those with preexisting asthma were later diagnosed with OSA. This is a significant incidence which is much higher than the expected amount in the average population.

To further help patients, the authors of the study lead by Dr. Mihaela Teodorescu recommend further inspection of the mechanisms in the body which cause sleep and breathing problems. It is believed the treatment of one of these conditions could affect the other.

The authors stated, “OSA risk relates to poor overall asthma control during daytime and nighttime. OSA treatment leads to improved asthma symptoms, morning peak expiratory flow rates, and quality of life, prompting including of OSA as a potential contributor to poor asthma control in the current asthma clinical guidelines.”

To improve your quality of life to get monitored for a potential sleep disorder, visit the doctors at Fusion Sleep for more information. If you notice that you or a loved one are snoring or getting a poor quality of sleep, schedule an appointment at FusionSleep. These professionals are qualified in the diagnosis and treatment of every major sleep disorder and the underlying health conditions.