If you have concerns about your sleep habits, including deep snoring and waking frequently at night, if you feel fatigued or experience energy loss during the day, you may have sleep apnea. Nearly 22 million Americans have sleep apnea, including one in three people over the age of 55. The sad truth is the great majority of people don’t know it.
Stephen Stuart, M.D., medical director of Arizona Cardiac Sleep Facility (ACSF) in Prescott, who is a board certified Sleep Medicine and Cardiovascular physician, warns that sleep apnea is a serious health condition that, left undiagnosed and untreated, can reduce life expectancy up to 15 year! Dr. Stuart went on to say that there is a direct connection between sleep apnea and heart disease. Untreated apnea increases the risk or heart attack and stroke by up to 300 percent.
That’s why Dr. Stuart and ACSF have decided to hold their first FREE seminar on sleep apnea. The seminar is open to the public and healthcare providers. Titled “Improving Sleep, Extending Life,” the seminar is schedule for Wednesday, June 24, starting at 6 p.m. It will be held at the Prescott Adult Center located at 1280 E. Rosser Street in Prescott. Refreshments will be served. To attend, please RSVP by calling 928-441-1117 no later than June 15.
Dr. Stuart and other guest speakers will explain what sleep apnea is, who qualifies as a candidate for sleep apnea, the connection to heart disease and symptoms. The seminar will also cover health issues that can result from untreated sleep apnea, specifics of sleep studies and treatment options.
Arizona Cardiac Sleep Facility is the first and only cardiac-based sleep study facility in Yavapai County. Sleep studies at ACSF include an EKG and heart health test related to diabetes and obesity using the latest technologies, including industry-approved cardiac markers. Only a cardiac-based facility can offer cardiac markers as part of a polysomnogram sleep study. A cardiac-based sleep study allows people to better understand their treatment options while achieving optimum wellness through aggressive preventive measures.
With sleep apnea, muscles that control the upper airway relax during sleep. When these muscles relax too much, the airway will narrow slightly and may become blocked, causing people with apnea to stop breathing for 10 seconds or more. Depending on the severity of sleep apnea, this pattern can be repeated over 100 times throughout the night, placing undue stress on your heart and brain. This condition is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
People with apnea forfeit a good night’s sleep, causing extreme fatigue during the day. Apnea can affect both work and personal relationships and is responsible for a number of work-related and auto accidents. Annually, there are approximately 40,000 premature deaths related to sleep apnea, including accidents resulting from apnea-related fatigue.
Because Dr. Stuart is a board-certified sleep medicine and cardiovascular physician, it allows him and ACSF to analyze test data in-house, which expedites the process and enables an apnea patient to begin therapy sooner. Also, Sleep Technologists at ACSF are certified and registered, bringing a higher level of care to our sleep study patients.
Arizona Cardiac Sleep Facility is located at 804 Ainsworth Drive, Suite 102, in Prescott. Most insurance plans and Medicare cover sleep apnea studies. QCBN
For more information, call ACSF at 928-441-1117.