Sleep Apnea In Women. Sleep apnea has been stereotyped as a men’s disease but it is much more common to women than we thought. Learn about the symptoms of women and how ResMed made treatment much more convenient.
Anyone Can Have Sleep Apnea
When talking about sleep apnea patients, we tend to stereotype them as an overweight, middle-aged man. But the truth is, sleep apnea can affect patients in all shapes, sizes, gender and race. Not all of them are male, overweight and surprisingly, not all of them are snorers. As it does in men, sleep apnea can also cause serious health problems for women and can lead to various complications during pregnancy or menopause. Throughout the years, sleep apnea presents itself differently to women than with men.
The most common symptoms of sleep apnea are snoring, gasping arousals and drowsiness. These symptoms are not commonly presented in women which is why going undiagnosed—or misdiagnosed with another condition is much more common. Another reason is that men are less likely to complain about their wives snoring so doctors don’t really ask women about any sleep-related symptoms.
Some of the most common symptoms to look for in women are:
- Insomnia
- Restlessness in legs
- Tired / Fatigue
- Depression
- Daytime sleepiness
- Morning headaches
- Fibromyalgia
- Concentration or memory difficulties
- Frequent urination at night
- Heartburn at night
- Night sweats
- Lack of energy during the day
- Being irritable
- Dry mouth on awakening
- A feeling of being overwhelmed
- Uncontrollable high blood pressure
- Obesity
The Challenge Of Treatment For Women
Women made about 40% of the newly diagnosed cases and unfortunately sticking with CPAP therapy and treatment can a bit of a challenge. Not every mask fits every face shape, and looking for the perfect mask can be especially tough on women since they have smaller facial features. There’s also never been any treatment specifically designed to treat female characteristics of this sleeping disorder and most CPAP masks are made with men in mind– until now.
ResMed’s CPAP For Women
For more than 25 years, ResMed has been one of the leading pioneers of innovative treatments for sleep-disordered breathing. ResMed offers a full range of CPAP masks and provides the most effective sleep therapy possible to its users.
ResMed has released new types of CPAP equipment for women. These new equipment are made to be better suited and more comfortable.
It’s available in nasal pillow’s, nasal masks and full-face masks, their air fit “for her” series is customised for women. Made with minimalist frames, more flexible headgear and smaller cushion sizes, these masks addresses the unique sizing needs of women and makes wearing them as discreet as possible.
They also made sure that comfort and style are not being compromised by designing it with soft headgears that can accommodate a variety of hairstyles. This way, you can wear your hair under or over the headgear strap. Women’s CPAP masks are also lighter and smaller than the normal ones to increase comfort and fit perfectly so users can reduce leakage and get the full effects.
More and more people are getting diagnosed with sleep disorders every year and ResMed believes that everyone with sleep apnea has the right to a well-fitting and low-priced device that keeps air flowing while the patient sleeps.
