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Times greater odds of dying of cancer among people with severe sleep apnea, compared with those who don’t have the condition, according to an 18-year study of 1,500 adults. Sleep apnea occurs when breathing is halted during sleep — a problem that is more common among obese people — resulting in frequent nighttime awakenings. The [...]

Do Snoring Babies Become Troubled Children?

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Infants with sleep disorders such as snoring or sleep apnea may be more vulnerable to behavioral and emotional problems later in life.

The Healthland Podcast: Pepper Spray, Sleep Apnea, and How Long to Wait Between Pregnancies

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Welcome to our Thanksgiving edition. This week we discuss whether pepper spray is a useful tool or a form of torture. Also, we talk about the dramatic rise in diagnoses of sleep apnea. And we try to puzzle out the optimal period for a mother to space out her offspring. Listen immediately by clicking the [...]

Weight loss may help cure sleep apnea

For obese men who suffer from sleep apnea, losing weight may be an effective cure, according to research published in the British Medical Journal. Sleep apnea—or when you temporarily stop breathing while asleep—is a condition that, when left untreated, can increase the risk for heart disease and stroke, and in serious cases, even death. Individuals [...]

More pint-sized patients getting grown-up surgeries

Childhood obesity rates are through the roof. In the past 30 years, the percentage of overweight kids has nearly tripled in every age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Obesity in children is defined as a body mass index, BMI, at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same [...]