Sleeping Like THIS Could Up Your COVID-19 Risk

By Dr. Scott Olson, ND Posted March 28, 2022

Dear Living Well Daily Reader,

It’s no secret that COVID-19 is with us for good.

We all have to start thinking of it more like the common cold, where you can get it more than once.

As always, staying healthy is your best bet to avoid some of the worse complications of COVID-19.

We quickly learned that having a chronic condition such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease could make things much worse should you catch this virus.

But now scientists have discovered that another disease could worsen a COVID-19 infection…

And it all starts with how you sleep.

I’m talking about snoring… or more specifically, sleep disordered breathing.

Not everyone who snores have a disordered breathing condition, but often it’s the first clue.

You see, people with a disordered breathing condition can have difficulty getting enough oxygen while they sleep.

The worst of these is called obstructive sleep apnea, which is when you stop breathing while you sleep, causing a dramatic drop in oxygen in the blood.

In a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, researchers found people who experience sleep disordered breathing have a 31 percent higher likelihood of hospitalization and death if they’re infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The research team discovered that disordered breathing conditions didn’t make people more likely to catch a COVID infection, but they did have a worse time once the caught the virus.

Basically, the researchers called obstructive sleep apnea an “amplifier” of COVID that could lead to more lung and heart damage.

How do you know if you have a disordered breathing condition?

The first hint usually comes from someone who sleeps in the same room as you— they’ll often hear the person gasping for air during the night.

But the only way to know for sure is to have a sleep study done, which is when doctors monitor you while you sleep. This test used to be done in a specialized sleep lab, but now they can easily be done at home.

If you or your spouse snore a lot and feel very groggy when you wake up, it might be a good idea to look into this test.

P.S. If you’re lucky enough to not have sleep apnea, you probably want to keep it that way. Keep yourself safe by avoiding this habit that can increase your risk of developing it by 78%!

SOURCE:

Berman, Robbie. “Study links sleep breathing disorders to severe COVID-19 outcomes.” 12/3/21. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/study-links-sleep-breathing-disorders-to-severe-covid-19-outcomes

Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND

Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.

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