Constant awakenings during sleep can increase heart rate and blood pressure. That's why sleep specialist, Dr. Margaret Moen is trying to help people tackle sleep apnea.
TRAVERSE CITY -- "I woke up one night to one of my adult children recording my sleeping with a hand held recorder because he was so concerned about my health," says Sally Ballenger of Traverse City.
It's a moment that Ballenger will never forget.
"When he played it back to me, it sounded very mechanical and I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe how bad it sounded," says Ballenger.
Ballenger's snoring was so intense that it not only worried her son but forced her to go through a sleep study. A sleep specialist confirmed that Ballenger who also has high blood pressure was suffering from sleep apnea.
"I will get a headache. I will have dreams where I feel my airway is being obstructed," says Ballenger.
Sleep apnea happens when a person's breathing passage remains open during sleep, but the person stops making efforts to breathe. So, the person starts to gasp for air or snore.
Dr. Margaret Moen is a sleep specialist with Sleep Diagnostics in Traverse City. She says sleep apnea can create wear and tear on the heart over time.
"When we have those pauses it's not just the drop in oxygen, it's the fact that your body is struggling to get the air in. In response to the situation there's an increase in our nervous system," says Dr. Moen.
That's where a special face mask or CPAP machine comes into play.
"You wear at night, gently blows air, gently inflates the tissues in back of the throat to hold them open. It's really an air splint," says Dr. Moen.
Ballenger says it might look funny at first, but with the CPAP she's not even aware she has a sleep problem anymore.
"No matter how uncomfortable I could have been with it in the beginning now I'm experiencing all the benefits from using it, because I know it's doing my heart a favor," says Ballenger.
For more information on sleep apnea and heart disease check out: http://www.munsonhealthcare.org/clinical_svcs/sleep_disorders/concerns/sleep_apnea.php
