It is tempting to imagine that young athletes don’t have any problems with snoring and sleep apnoea, but a recent study a few years ago of university rugby players discovered they were more likely to suffer from sleep-disordered breathing than middle-aged men. The study also determined that athletes with sleep disordered breathing were more likely to have low oxygen levels in their blood and higher pulse rates during sleep. The finding suggests that athletes with sleep-disordered breathing may have a higher risk of heart abnormalities which could be a factor in why some seemingly healthy young athletes die suddenly from unexplained heart attacks.

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What Is Sleep-Disordered Breathing?

Sleep-disordered breathing, or SDB, is where people have abnormal breathing during sleep, ranging from snoring to sleep apnoea, where the airway partially or completely closes multiple times during sleep. The risk factors for SDB include being over age 40, having a high BMI and having a large neck circumference. Without treatment, people with SDB have an increased risk of developing chronic diseases that include type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and heart failure.

Researchers chose to study rugby players because they know they tend to have a higher BMI and larger neck circumferences than other athletes. They were interested in investigating the prevalence of SDB in collision sports athletics like rugby. The study followed 42 male rugby players aged between 18 and 19 and discovered that 43% of them met the criteria for SDB, experiencing pauses in breathing that lasted for at least 10 seconds five or more times over three hours. The study also assessed the performance of their heart and lungs at rest and during exercise to see if there were any signs of cardiovascular abnormalities. They discovered that the resting heart rate amongst athletes with SDB was higher than those without this condition. While none of the athletes was found to have serious heart problems just yet, it’s unknown if this could change as they age and if this could identify them as being at risk for cardiovascular complications later in life.

When someone young has sleep-disordered breathing, even if they are an athlete, it’s worth paying attention. The study concluded that a sleep study to assess for the presence of SDB breathing was worth considering when caring for collision sports athletes like rugby players or American football players.

While there may be a link between sleep apnoea and athletic performance, it certainly wouldn’t be fair to say that SDB can improve an athlete’s performance on the field. Instead, it can be an early warning sign of potential problems that could affect the athlete both now, in the case of sudden cardiac deaths in younger people and later in life.

Sleep Apnoea Is a Treatable Condition

Whether you are an athlete or a little older, sleep apnoea is a condition that is easy to diagnose and can be treated using a combination of oral appliances and possibly lifestyle modifications.