Sleep apnea increased more than 3 times...Risk of acute cardiac arrest ↑

[Anchor]
The number of sleep apnea patients who do not breathe when sleeping has more than tripled in five years.

If breathing is not smooth during sleep, the risk of acute cardiac arrest increases by 54%, which requires alertness.

Reporter Kwon Min-seok's report.

[Reporter]
The man in his 30s visited a sleep clinic after hearing from his wife that he had a bad snoring problem.

As a result of the test, I first learned that I did not breathe 140 times while sleeping.

[Kim Hyunsoo / Sleep apnea patient] Especially after going to work in the morning, I still feel tired and right after I wake up. After eating in the afternoon, I just stretch it out completely.]

The number of sleep apnea patients whose breathing stops repeatedly or becomes irregular when sleeping is increasing every year.

In 2018, the number increased from 45,000 to 153,800 in five years, a 341% increase.

The incidence rate was high among men in their 30s and 40s and women in their 50s and 60s, which can also lead to emergencies.

Studies have shown that people with sleep apnea have a 54% higher risk of acute cardiac arrest than those without sleep apnea.

In particular, sleep apnea increased the risk of acute cardiac arrest by 76% among 18 to 64 years of age without cardiovascular underlying disease.

If you've frequently snored or woke up because you feel suffocated, you should suspect it.

Obesity, high blood pressure, frequent smoking and drinking have an adverse effect, so it is good to change your lifestyle, and it is helpful to lie on your side when you sleep.

In severe cases, you should wear a positive pressure device that opens your airways under artificial pressure or undergo nasal surgery.

[Shin Hongbeom / Psychiatrist: Nose bones are bent]Surgical removal of these areas can be helpful, such as lift, large tonsils, too long throat, or too thick tongue.]

Even if the symptoms are weak, the quality of sleep decreases and interferes with daily life, so don't take it lightly and get medical treatment, experts advise.

I'm Kwon Minseok of YTN.