Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Sleep apnea and cholesterol

Sleep apnea can be a trigger for many ailments such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other illnesses. It can also have an adverse effect on your cholesterol level.

First of all there are 2 types of cholesterol, the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol. It used to be that you would be given just one number to tell where your cholesterol level was. Not now, you also have to take in consideration that some cholesterol is good.

LDL is the bad cholesterol. It clogs up the arteries with plague which could eventually lead to complete blockage which could kill you.

HDL is the good cholesterol. It helps send cholesterol and fats back to the liver for recycling.

Sleep apnea can reduce the level of good cholesterol. Apnea affects the lipid metabolism which has a direct effect on the good and bad cholesterol, according to a German study done in 2006. In the same study it was found that the cpap helped raise the HDL cholesterol.

Of course being tired all the time can lead to poor eating habits. I know that I gravitate toward foods that have a lot of sugar in them, I imagine because it gives me a temporary pickup that I need to get through the day. I am also sure that if I exercised more than I would probably have better eating habits but as tired as I am during the day it is hard to get motivated to exercise.

Once again there is another reason to find relief from your sleep apnea.

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1 comment:

  1. For people who smoke, as in my case, it is preferable to more strictly checkups for cholesterol?
    You spend much time working and always tired step, it is possible that the accumulated fatigue makes my cholesterol to rise?.
    Thanks

    Sara Verliz

    ReplyDelete