Alcohol and Sleep Apnea
Wednesday, July 11, 2007

One in every four men in the United States has sleep disordered breathing at night.  In the 60 Second Housecall, Dr. Ken Davis shares one habit that may make this breathing worse.

A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, relates alcohol intake to the development of sleep apnea in men.  Previous studies have found that drinking alcohol before sleep can cause breathing problems.  This study looked at the effect of drinking alcohol any time of the day on sleep.

775 men and 645 women participated in the study.  The study looked at participants’ drinking history and their current drinking patterns.

The researchers found that for every additional drink the men consumed, the sleep disordered breathing worsened by 25 percent.  This effect was not found in women.

Men who were moderate drinkers were more likely to have five or more episodes of interrupted breathing per hour during sleep than men who didn't drink at all.

The investigators concluded that men with sleep-disordered breathing, and those at risk for sleep-disordered breathing, should minimize alcohol consumption not just before bedtime, but anytime during the day.

For North Mississippi Medical Center, I’m Dr. Ken Davis.