Tag: sleep apnea

Early Menopause: What You Need To Know Now To Protect Your Future Heart Health

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Early menopause occurs before the age of 45, and can be due to a decline in ovarian function or medically induced from a hysterectomy. One of the most significant but less talked about concerns of menopause is the heightened risk of cardiovascular disease women experience. If you have or are experiencing early menopause, this risk starts earlier. While this might feel scary for you, understanding this phase of life, changes you experience and how to protect your cardiovascular system will help allay the fear and help you to feel empowered during this time in your life.

Understandably, women are most concerned with the symptoms of menopause: hot flashes, night sweats, mood and cognitive changes, and weight gain which prompt women to see their health care provider. Unfortunately, the silent changes get ignored resulting in a missed opportunity to educate and empower women to take a proactive approach to their heart health.

After menopause, women experience a significant increase in their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Prior to this stage, women are generally better shielded against cardiovascular disease compared to men, thanks to the protective effects of estrogen. However, with the onset of menopause, the once-advantageous influence of estrogen diminishes, leaving women more vulnerable to cardiovascular health issues.

Estrogen, a hormone that declines during menopause, plays a protective role in cardiovascular health. The decline in estrogen after menopause causes a heightened risk for cardiovascular disease in a number of ways:

  1. Reduced estrogen levels can lead to unfavorable changes in lipid profiles, including increased levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, and Lp(a), and decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. These changes can contribute to the development of plaque build up in the artery walls and increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.
  2. Endothelial dysfunction: Estrogen helps maintain the health and function of the endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels. Endothelial dysfunction, characterized by impaired dilation and increased inflammation, is an early event in the development of atherosclerosis. Decreased estrogen levels can contribute to endothelial dysfunction, thereby increasing the risk of CVD.
  3. Weight gain and abdominal fat: Hormonal changes during menopause can lead to an increase in body fat, particularly around the waistline and organs (called visceral fat). Abdominal fat is strongly associated with a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders.
  4. Elevated blood pressure: Menopause may cause an increase in blood pressure levels, further straining the cardiovascular system.
  5. Reduced insulin sensitivity: Menopausal hormonal changes can affect insulin sensitivity, potentially leading to insulin resistance and an increased risk of developing diabetes, which is a significant risk factor for heart disease.

Given the increased risk of heart disease associated with menopause, it's important for women who experience early menopause to be proactive about cardiovascular health. This includes adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle and Mediterranean eating pattern, engaging in regular physical activity, not smoking, managing stress, and monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol levels. For many women, hormone replacement therapy is an important part a treatment plan and should also be included in the discussion for management of early menopause. Early screening is paramount for women in early menopause to prevent future cardiac events.

 

Disclaimer: The information presented on this site does not constitute medical advice and does not replace the advice from your doctor. Always consult a qualified health care professional when changing or beginning a new health plan.

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5 Changes In Menopause That Impact Your Heart Health

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Many women dread the transition to menopause. Hearing the discontented experiences of friends, mothers and other women before them, it is assumed that menopause will be this dreadful rollercoaster ride that could last 5, 8 or up to 12 years! Due to the decline in protective estrogen, heart disease risk begins to climb during this time. Post menopause, women’s risk catches up with that of men’s risk. Because of this, there is a lot of messaging encouraging menopausal women to adopt a heart disease prevention program. But I’m here to tell you not to wait that long.

We do know that the earlier women start a heart disease prevention plan, the better they will fair post menopause in reducing their risk of heart disease. And if you have officially celebrated the end of your menstrual cycle, there is no time like the present to take deliberate action to prevent your risk of a heart attack.

If you’re approaching perimenopause the timing couldn’t be more crucial to take strategic action. Here’s why…

Body Composition

Estrogen causes fat distribution pattern in breasts, buttocks and thighs. The decline in estrogen during menopause causes more weight gain around the middle instead of the hips and buttocks. Central obesity can lead to low grade chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and type II diabetes

Blood Pressure

Estrogen, along with collagen and elastin, help support normal distensibility of blood vessels and protects the delicate lining of arteries called the endothelium. A decrease in estrogen, along with decline in collagen and elastin production can affect blood vessel health, contributing to arterial stiffness, reduced arterial dilation, and high blood pressure.

Cholesterol

Estrogen plays a role in upregulating LDL receptors in the liver to take up circulating cholesterol. A proposed mechanism contributing to changes in lipids is the down regulation of LDL receptors in the liver causing less uptake from the blood stream.  Central adiposity associated with menopause may also contribute to the dyslipidemia as well.

Post menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal women tend to experience changes in their lipid profiles including higher total cholesterol, LDL, apolipoprotein B, and a decrease in HDL function. [1]

Sleep Apnea

Menopause is a significant risk factor for sleep apnea. In fact, your risk may even double post menopause. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, poor glucose regulation, disturbances in heart rhythm and overall cardiovascular disease risk.[2]

If you are having ongoing unrefreshing sleep despite 7-9 hours, waking with headaches, snore, having significant daytime fatigues, it is worth a conversation with your doctor about testing. A quick quiz you can do to help determine your potential risk is the SLEEP BANG quiz. Click here to take the quiz.

Vasomotor Symptoms

Women who have more severe vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats) are at a higher risk for coronary heart disease compared to those with less severe symptoms. VMS have been associated with a less favorable cardiovascular risk profile and surrogate CVD endpoints such as higher cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, BMI, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and insulin resistance, have been found in women with VMS compared to asymptomatic women.[3]

What can be empowering to know is that even though you may be postmenopausal there are many evidence-based strategies you can implement that can reduce your risk.

So, ladies, what do you say we put prevention—and ourselves—first? Approach menopause with confidence.

If you’re with me, start having a discussion with your health care provider about what strategies you can implement now so you can enjoy the next decades without fear of a heart attack. It’s simpler than you might think. Also know that if you struggle with the symptoms of hormonal changes - night sweats, hot flashes, headaches, cramping, heavy periods, mood changes...there is help for you, you don't need to suffer.

References

[1] Sharma, J., McAlister, J., Aggarwal, N., et al. Evaluation and management of blood lipids through a woman's life cycle. American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 10 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2022.100333.

[2] Thompson, C., Legault, J., Moullec, G. et al. A portrait of obstructive sleep apnea risk factors in 27,210 middle-aged and older adults in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Sci Rep 12, 5127 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08164-6

[3] https://www.imsociety.org/2021/05/12/vasomotor-menopausal-symptoms-and-cardiovascular-disease-risk/

 

Disclaimer: The information presented on this site does not constitute medical advice and does not replace the advice from your doctor. Always consult a qualified health care professional when changing or beginning a new health plan.

Click the link below to learn 5 critical ways to reduce your risk of a heart attack in just 5 days. And it's FREE! or book your FREE Discovery Call Now.

Join The FREE Mini-Course
Book A Free Discovery Call

Ignoring Snoring? It’s Not Just A Noisy Nuisance

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Are you feeling that familiar elbow in your back night after night, or your/your partner’s snoring is so disruptive that you now sleep in separate rooms? Snoring can be a nuisance, but it can also represent a red flag that your heart and your health is in danger. Here is why you should not ignore the snore.

There are different types of sleep apnea, but obstructive sleep apnea is the most common and is characterized by pauses in breath throughout the night while you are sleeping, resulting in unrefreshing sleep. It is an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition. Snoring is one of the most obvious signs but other symptoms include:

  • Waking up tired and fatigued through the day, feeling like you can easily fall asleep while driving or talking to someone
  • Difficulty concentrating during the day
  • Morning headaches
  • Waking up gasping or choking
  • Mood changes such as depression or irritability
  • High blood pressure and high blood pressure that isn’t responding to treatment

When sleep apnea goes untreated it can increase your risk for the following:

  • High blood pressure
  • Heart attacks
  • Arrhythmias or irregular heart beats
  • Diabetes
  • Weight gain

The good news is sleep apnea IS treatable. Treatments include:

  • A special face mask that delivers positive airway pressure throughout the night
  • A special mouth piece (called mandibular advancement device) that thrusts your jaw forward to keep your airway open
  • Weight loss

What’s more is that you need to wear your mask for only 4 hours at night to achieve a clinical benefit (although you will feel better if you are wearing it for all your sleep hours).

Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea but snoring shouldn’t be ignored, especially if you also wake gasping or choking in the night or your bed partner reports that you do.

Click here to take this 8 question quiz to quickly assess your likelihood of having sleep apnea. Even if you score low but are suffering with your sleep and feeling unrefreshed in the morning, you should consult your health care provider for support and a proper assessment.

Sleep apnea that goes untreated can wreak havoc on your overall health. Frequent apneic episodes during the night place a significant strain on your heart – it increases sympathetic activation, increases the resistance your heart has to pump against (called afterload), reduces the production of vasodilating substances such as nitric oxide which all contribute to a rise in blood pressure and risk for arrhythmias and cardiac events. Don’t ignore the snore!

 

Hasthi U. Dissanayake,  Juliana T. Colpani, Kate Sutherland,  et al. Obstructive sleep  apnea therapy for cardiovascular risk reduction—Time for a rethink? Clin Cardiol. 2021 Dec; 44(12): 1729–1738.

 

Disclaimer: The information presented on this site does not constitute medical advice and does not replace the advice from your doctor. Always consult a qualified health care professional when changing or beginning a new health plan.

 

Click the link below to learn 5 critical ways to reduce your risk of a heart attack in just 5 days. And it's FREE! or book your FREE Discovery Call Now.

Join The FREE Mini-Course
Book A Free Discovery Call

6 Heart Disease Risk Factors You Don’t Know About

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We all know and often hear about the traditional risk factors for heart disease: smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, hypertension, and poor diet. However, there are a number of factors which can increase your risk considerably which are much less talked about.

Conditions in Pregnancy

Conditions such as hypertension in pregnancy and gestational diabetes or impaired glucose control can significantly increase your risk for heart disease and heart attacks later in life, EVEN IF you now have normal blood pressure and blood sugar. Pregnancy is like a stress test for women, and can unmask metabolic issues you may not have otherwise known. Having these conditions impair the endothelium, the delicate lining of the arteries, which regulates blood pressure, inflammation, and clotting. Its damage to this protective lining that sets people up for heart disease later in life…even 25 years later!

The good news…eating a healthy diet, exercising, getting the appropriate tests, and managing other risk factors, mitigates your risk.

Sleep Apnea

There are several types of sleep apnea but obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your throat muscles relax and block your airway during sleep. This happens intermittently and is associated with loud snoring that is punctuated by periods of silence. Sometimes people wake gasping at night which settles relatively quickly within a few breaths. And sometimes people with sleep apnea actually think they sleep relatively well.

When breathing stops throughout the night, and this can happen hundreds of times, it places a significant amount of stress on the body which can persist throughout the next day. Sleep apnea contributes to high blood pressure mediated through signals coming from the brain to increase blood flow when oxygen levels drop.

Most people think that those with sleep apnea are overweight, however, this condition can occur in those that are thin and healthy, and it also increases in women after menopause.

What you can do: if your partner complains of loud snoring or you are feeling extremely tired and sleepy during the day, ask your doctor about getting a sleep study.

Depression

Depression and heart disease are a two-way street. Those with depression have been found to have higher levels of inflammation and for those suffering from depression, it makes it harder to engage in heart- and mental health-protective behaviours such as exercise, socializing, eating healthy, or quitting smoking. Those that have depression have worse outcomes after a heart attack.

Living with depression is hard. But know that there is help out there. The first step is recognizing you are struggling and asking for help. You are loved and deserve to feel your best.

What’s good for the heart is good for the mind.

Poor Gut Health

Hippocrates said “all disease begins in the gut”.

The gut is home to trillions of bugs that interact with the food we eat. This is called the microbiome. They produce waste products, some good and some not so good, influencing our weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, mental health, and inflammation-all risk factors for heart disease.

Your microbiome is like a finger print – it is unique to you and can influence your susceptibility to disease. We do a lot of things that mess up our gut ecosystem: eating highly processed foods, little fibre and plant foods, and take certain medications like acid blocking medications and anti-inflammatories. And antibiotics are like an atomic bomb to our guts! If we tend to our inner community by feeding it a variety of plant based foods, fibre, fermented foods, and less animal products we can influence our heart health through a healthier gut.

Hypothyroidism

The thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped gland located at the base of your neck and responds to signals from the brain to release thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones play an important role in your overall health and feeling your best, and have a direct effect on your heart health in a number of ways.

Thyroid hormones effect the contractility of your heart, in other words how strong your heart is contracting to pump blood forward, it effects your heart rate and regularity, it effects the tone of your vascular system, impacting blood pressure and it also impacts your LDL levels by affecting receptors that take up LDL from the circulation. Thyroid hormones also prevent LDL oxidation which is a process that turns LDL into a very damaging molecule that significantly contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries leading to heart disease.

Gum Disease

Do you suffer from bleeding gums, deep pockets, or cavities? Have you been diagnosed with periodontal disease or treated for oral infections? Then you are at risk for heart disease.

Poor oral health has been linked with heart disease and significant increased risk for heart attacks due to unchecked inflammation.

The good news is that you can actually get tested to find out if you have too many bad bacteria residing in your mouth and get appropriate treatment.

Click the link below to learn 5 critical ways to reduce your risk of a heart attack in just 5 days. And it's FREE! or book your FREE Discovery Call now.

Join The FREE Mini-Course
Book A Free Discovery Call

 

Disclaimer: The information presented on this site does not constitute medical advice and does not replace the advice from your doctor. Always consult a qualified health care professional when changing or beginning a new health plan.