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# New Study Reveals Sleep Apnea Health Risk
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/180820091058_new_study_reveals_sleep_apnea_health_risk/
- Published: 2009-08-18T22:57:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T12:25:54.000Z
- Description: A Johns Hopkins study that surveyed 6,400 people over eight years found those with severe sleep apnea were 43 percent more likely to die early. The piece describes CPAP as the most successful treatment and lists weight loss, avoiding alcohol, quitting smoking and side-sleeping.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Disease, Health News, #vivvo-import

By Rachel Stockton ([rachels@foodconsumer.org](mailto:rachels@foodconsumer.org))

According to a sleep study out of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, people who have severe sleep apnea are 43% more likely to die at an early age than their sound-sleeping counterparts.

Sleep apnea is a physical condition caused by the airways collapsing; the result is an interruption in breathing that lasts for at least 10 seconds. Sleep apnea is considered severe when it occurs every two to three minutes.

Sleep apnea patients are at risk for a number of life threatening health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke.

For the study, 6400 people were surveyed over a period of 8 years; the study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which estimates that 12 million adults suffer from the malady.

Experts agree that the best way to treat sleep apnea, which causes low blood oxygen levels and fragmented sleep, is to lose weight. In fact, the National Sleep Institute maintains that weight loss is the ONLY way to treat apnea. Anything else just treats the symptoms.

The most successful treatment for the snoring that accompanies apnea is the CPAP (continuous supportive airway pressure), which keeps the airways from collapsing, allowing for more restful sleep. According to the National Sleep Institute, the vast majority of CPAP users successfully keep sleep apnea under control, citing increased energy and mental focus.

The Institute also has some practical suggestions on its website for those who choose not to use a CPAP:

1\. Lose weight

2\. Avoid alcohol, especially right before bed

3\. Quit smoking

4\. Sleep on your side; most sleep apnea patients contend that their symptoms aren't as severe when they lie on their sides, as opposed to lying flat on their backs.

The good news is that most insurance companies now pay for treatment at a sleep center, as well as for the CPAP itself. This is further proof that sleep apnea is a serious medical condition requiring intervention.