Sleep apnea’s incredibly high prevalence
It may seem scary to get a new diagnosis or even just to think that you might have a chronic condition like sleep apnea, but you’re not alone.
Sleep apnea statistics: prevalence
At least 27% of men and 11% of women have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as per population-based data. It’s about as common as diabetes, but not nearly as well-recognized. And those numbers are based on older studies when obesity rates were not as high as they are today – the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that obesity rates have doubled in the US over the past 30 years. As we know, obesity is a major contributor to the occurrence of OSA in individuals, so it’s likely these numbers are under-representative of reality.
Sleep apnea statistics: severity
Most of these apnea cases are not mild. Approximately 17% of middle-aged men and 9% of middle-aged women have moderate-to-severe OSA, the range of sleep apnea that can contribute to other health conditions, such as heart disease and stroke. While most people think of men as being more at risk for OSA than women, after menopause, women are just as likely as men to develop OSA. However, they tend to get a diagnosis later because they are less likely to snore and more likely to have other symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, and depressed mood.
Sleep apnea statistics: future projections
With numbers like these, it’s easy to understand that OSA affects millions of people every day, and the numbers keep rising. In just the past 15-20 years, OSA cases have increased by 10-50%. And although many people may not know about it, it is more prevalent than other well-known chronic diseases, like diabetes (which has around a 10% prevalence), Alzheimer’s disease (1-5%), and arthritis (10%). It’s even almost as common as high blood pressure, which affects one in every three adults.
However, even though so many people have documented OSA, at least 80% of cases go undiagnosed. By downloading this app, you’re already a step ahead of the game. Click here to learn more about taking control of your sleep apnea.