July 27, 2010
Ana C. Krieger, M.D., M.P.H., Co-Director of the Weill Cornell Center for Sleep Medicine and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, appeared on CBS HealthWatch. Dr. Krieger explained the deeper health concerns associated with sleep apnea, a condition that affects 25 percent of men and 9 percent of women. Researchers of a newly released study estimate that sleep apnea — during which airways close up, depriving the sleeper of adequate oxygen — renders middle-aged and older men 68 percent more likely to develop heart problems than men without apnea. "The whole body suffers damage because of the lack of oxygen," said Dr. Krieger. Premenopausal women and sleep apnea was also discussed.