Is Sleep Apnea a Risk Factor for Cancer in Women?

Cancer is one of the most common causes of death in the United States. While some cases of this devastating disease are due to unchangeable factors, such as genetics, other cases stem from modifiable risk factors. Research indicates that sleep apnea might be one such risk factor, particularly in women. Let’s talk about how these two conditions may be related and how sleep apnea treatment in Vero Beach may prove to be lifesaving.

Higher Cancer Rates in Women with Sleep Apnea

A study conducted in 2019 considered data from nearly 20,000 adults (both men and women) with sleep apnea. Roughly 2% of the patients had also been diagnosed with cancer. It is interesting to note that cancer occurred in just 1.7% of the men, but it affected 2.8% of the women. Given the large sample size used in the study, it is reasonable to think that sleep apnea may be a more serious cancer risk factor for the female population than it is for men.

Does Sleep Apnea Cause Cancer?

While there is a significant association between cancer and sleep apnea in women, there is not yet enough evidence to say that the sleep disorder actually causes cancer. The correlation between them might stem from the fact that they have some risk factors in common, such as excess body weight and smoking.

Of course, some scientists suspect that there is a causal relationship between sleep apnea and cancer. It is possible that the continual oxygen deprivation and fragmented sleep patterns caused by sleep apnea can have a negative impact on the health of tissues throughout the body, which in turn can heighten the risk that tumors will develop. The risk might be greater in women than in men due to the fact that the two sexes have different hormonal makeups.

What You Can Do

Regardless of whether or not sleep apnea can cause cancer, it is worth your time and effort to take steps to improve the quality of your sleep. Doing so may not may not lower your cancer risk, but it will almost certainly help you to enjoy an improved quality of life and better overall health.

Here are a few things you can do to manage sleep apnea in Vero Beach:

• Seek treatment. Sleep apnea is highly unlikely to go away without professional treatment. You may need an oral appliance to help you breathe better at night.
• Adjust your habits. Quitting smoking, sleeping on your side, and cutting back on caffeine and alcohol may all reduce sleep apnea symptoms.
• Practice good sleep hygiene. Having a regular bedtime, investing in a good mattress, and avoiding blue light in the last few hours before bed can all improve the quality of your sleep.

Cancer is just one more item on the long list of health problems that sleep apnea may contribute to. Taking steps to get enough high-quality rest might just save your life!

Meet the Sleep Apnea Expert

Dr. Kenneth Mogell is an experienced, highly accomplished dentist who has devoted much of his career to helping patients conquer sleep apnea via oral appliance therapy. If you are curious about how he may be able to help you get the high-quality shuteye that you need in order to be healthy, contact any of our three conveniently located offices. You can call our team in Vero Beach at 772-882-6800.