Sleep Disorder Boosts Heart Risks While Flying

A new study shows, that people who are suffering from disruptive sleep apnea may be at higher risk for heart troubles during air travel.

Sleep apnea is a general condition characterized by momentary breathing interruptions during sleep, often due to an upper airway hindrance. People, are suffering sleep apnea habitually snore loudly and gasp for air during sleep.

Australian researchers studied oxygen levels and breathing patterns in healthy people and in 22 people with strict sleep apnea for the duration of a fake flight in a new study. Study research on the subjects and the conditions in the simulator mimicked oxygen and pressure levels found on commercial airline flights.

It was ascertained by researchers that people with obstructive sleep apnea had lower levels of oxygen in their blood before and during the simulated flight. People with apnea were feeling higher physiological stress, heart rates and demand for oxygen than healthy people, according to the conclusion of research, presented this weekend at the American Thoracic Society’s 2008 International Conference in Toronto.

“We addressed obstructive sleep apnea because it is becoming so much more common as obesity increases and there are greater numbers of obese passengers on commercial flights,’’ said lead researcher Leigh Seccombe, a senior scientist in the department of thoracic medicine at Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney.

The outcome recommend patients with obstructive sleep apnea are at higher risk for heart problems during air travel, and put forward questions about whether patients with brutal apnea should travel with supplemental oxygen, the way patients with lung diseases do.