TWO SIGNIFICANT INDICATORS OF SLEEP APNEA- BMI and NECK CIRCUMFERENCE. Calculate them here:
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock:
Calculate your Sleep Apnea risks factors here:
The Body Mass Index (BMI) appraisal is one of the most widely used tools to measure healthy body weight. This ratio of height to weight will help assess whether you are underweight, normal weight or overweight.
The higher the BMI, the greater the risk of some diseases, including:
Sleep Apnea, Stroke, High blood pressure, Coronary artery disease, Osteoarthritis, Some cancers, Diabetes type 2.
Sleep Apnea awareness is “contagious”. As more and more people learn about SA, doctors are driven to get training and certification to be able to discover and treat this disease. Less than 1 % of doctors are trained in Sleep Medicine to help the 40 million people afflicted with SA.
Here is a BMI calculator, from the Mayo Clinic, that you can use to determine your (or a child’s) BMI. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bmi-calculator/NU00597
Take the assessment, then rate yourself (below).
| CATEGORY | BMI RANGE – KG/M2 | BMI PRIME |
|---|---|---|
| Very severely underweight | less than 15 | less than 0.60 |
| Severely underweight | from 15.0 to 16.0 | from 0.60 to 0.64 |
| Underweight | from 16.0 to 18.5 | from 0.64 to 0.74 |
| Normal (healthy weight) | from 18.5 to 25 | from 0.74 to 1.0 |
| Overweight | from 25 to 30 | from 1.0 to 1.2 |
| Obese Class I (Moderately obese) | from 30 to 35 | from 1.2 to 1.4 |
| Obese Class II (Severely obese) | from 35 to 40 | from 1.4 to 1.6 |
| Obese Class III (Very severely obese) | over 40 | over 1.6 |
Each unit increase in BMI is associated with a 14% increased risk of developing sleep apnea, and a 10% weight gain increases the odds of developing moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea by six times. Compared to normal-weight adults, those who are obese have a sevenfold increased risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea.
NECK CIRCUMFERENCE
BMI isn’t the sole marker of obesity that’s important. Men with a neck circumference above 16.5 inches (43 centimeters) and women with a neck circumference above 15 inches (38 centimeters) also have a significantly increased risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. That is because a thick neck may narrow the airway.
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