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How Much Do You Know About Sleep Apnea and Women?

Most people think of sleep apnea as a “men’s disease,” but some researchers are beginning to suspect that this is not the case. While sleep apnea in men is often marked by loud snoring, the symptoms are much more subtle in women. That’s why they tend to go undiagnosed much more often than their male counterparts. That’s why today, CarePro is going to talk about what you should know about women and sleep apnea—and what you should do if you are diagnosed with it.

Symptoms in women.

As we mentioned before, the snoring associated with men is often absent in women with sleep apnea. Instead, they tend to experience the following:

• Daytime sleepiness
• Morning headaches
• Depression
• Racing heartbeat
• Morning dry mouth
• Waking up gasping

Risk Factors.

There are a couple of other symptoms unique to women.  They are more likely to develop sleep apnea after menopause. Pregnancy can also cause you to develop sleep apnea, especially if it’s accompanied by gestational diabetes.

Treatment for Women.

Luckily, there is specialized help for you if you’re a woman living with sleep apnea. Some manufacturers make CPAP masks tailored specifically for you. For example, the Swift FX Nano and the Quattro FX for Her take women’s petite facial features into consideration.

When it comes to CPAP machines, one example of a tailored-for-women approach is the Airsense 10 For Her by Resmed. This machine uses an algorithm that is more sensitive to flow limitation and optimizes its response to your apnea events.

If you think that you may have sleep apnea, we encourage you to reach out to your physician and have an appointment made for a sleep test. Should the results come back positive, you can rely on the experts at CarePro Home Medical. We have respiratory therapists on staff who can help you successfully navigate this condition.