Health & Fitness
Bob Saget's Death: Might it have been related to Sleep Apnea
Dying in your sleep at 65 with no known medical condition is vexing...unless
Comedian/actor Bob Saget died last week at the age of 65. He apparently had many fans and a great career and a cherished list of friends and family. The cause of his death is presently undisclosed/undetermined. It could be that we never fully determine what happened to Bob Saget to end his life while in bed on January 9th. No one suspects foul play or drug use. We know that sometime during sleep Bob Saget’s heart stopped beating. How does that happen to someone with no known health condition? Why does that happen? I want to disclose from the outset that my opinions on Bob Saget’s cause of death are pure conjecture. I do, however, have an opinion.
I have a strong suspicion that the cause of death will be determined to be “heart attack”. It seems like a a lot of middle to later aged men die of heart attack before an age when you would suspect them to succumb to a “natural death”. They very often die in their sleep. If you were to think of the time when you would be least likely to die from a heart attack (all things being equal) it would fall into the time frame when you are sleeping. Why is this? Because this is when your vital signs: heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, and stresses of all kinds, (should) be at their lowest. It would be much more likely that a person would experience a cardiac episode during his or her wakeful state; a time when he/she was exerting himself or herself--a time of activity when there is load on the heart. Sleep, though, is supposed to be a restful state. But, what if a person had an undiagnosed medical condition?
Sleep Apnea is a serious medical condition and studies show that 80% of people with sleep apnea go undiagnosed.
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For them, nighttime is a period of the most heightened stress on the heart; a battle zone. For the over 26% of men and women between the ages of 30 to 70 who are afflicted with Sleep Apnea, sleep is most likely to be the most physiologically stressful part of the day. Sleep apnea occurs during the night and it is characterized by the prolonged cessation (10 seconds or more) in breathing during sleep. It is, plain and simple, a form of choking/suffocation. It is unique because the individual suffering from Sleep Apnea (or OSA) chokes on his own body tissue; the tissues surrounding the throat, the soft palate, and the tongue. And, during the choking you are denying your heart and brain (and all other organs) the oxygen supply that they need to function.
Over the years many high profile men have died well before their primes while sleeping and there is often a lack of clarity over the cause of death. Here is a list of relatively recent premature deaths that have been associated with Sleep Apnea:
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Antonin Scalia was the sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.. He died in 2016. He was on a hunting trip in Texas and he had been diagnosed with sleep apnea years prior. Because of this he had been prescribed a CPAP machine which is a machine that addresses the closing off of the airway at night by forcing air down the throat. This keeps the air flow continuous. It can be life saving but, it can only save lives when it is being used. Scalia had taken his CPAP with him on his trip but it turns out that they found his CPAP next to his bed unplugged. One of the best minds in America had neglected to prioritize the use of a life saving device. It appears now to be a fatal mistake.
The same exact fate met HOF lineman Reggie White of the Green Bay Packers who died in his sleep in 2004 and whose CPAP machine was next to his bed not in use. His family established a Sleep Apnea awareness foundation following his death. We don’t have stats on this but the anecdotal realities are abundant. James Gandolfini died in his sleep of a sleep apnea induced heart attack. It was cited as the cause of death.
My uncle at age 47, died in his sleep after prolonged choking and loud snoring witnessed by my aunt. Sleep Apnea has traditionally and incorrectly been deemed a condition that afflicts those who are overweight. While it is true that obesity raises the likelihood of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) it is absolutely false to say that those who are not overweight are not likely to have OSA. Doctors have traditionally screened patients for OSA who were obese but it seems like many OSA sufferers have been overlooked due to their not exhibiting the classic body type look. This is why we have 80% (that is 4 out of 5) of sleep apnea sufferers going undiagnosed This is a very sad statement on the medical community today. How is this still happening in 2022?
So, why do I think that Bob Saget (could) have been suffering from Sleep Apnea? For starters he died far before his time and he died while sleeping. People don't usually die from an undiagnosed condition while sleeping (at 65) unless it is sleep apnea or something very rare. Sleep Apnea affects 26% of men between 30 and 70 https://aasm.org/rising-preval.... Men over 50 are at high risk. Bob Saget had retruded upper and lower jaws which suggests lack of adequate tongue space. I'm basing this on many photos. It is not too difficult to discern if you know what to look for. It would appear that Bob Saget might have a neck circumference of greater than 17 inches. Men with neck circumferences greater than 17 inches are at high risk for sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea also causes daytime sleepiness, a decrease in mental acuity and a high risk for impaired driving. It can also cause EDD and many other conditions.
Again, I don't know what caused Bob Saget's death with certainty but the signals add up to suggest the distinct possibility.
There are many other factors and conditions that pose a high risk for Sleep Apnea (OSA):
A retruded lower jaw (weak chin) which causes inadequate tongue space
Narow upper arch
Overclosed bite
Loss of muscle tone of the pharynx
Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
Enlarged neck size (> than 17 inches)
Sleep Apnea (OSA) raises the risk of:
Heart Attack (23X)
Stroke
Diabetes: 50% of people with Diabetes II also have sleep apnea. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.go...
High blood pressure
Diagnosing Sleep Apnea requires a very simple screening process that starts with filling out a Questionnaire. If the answers to the questions on the Questionnaire are high enough then a Home Sleep Test (HST) will be recommended. It is very easy to take a Home Sleep Test and they are mailed to your home. They are inexpensive and simple. After the test the results are digitally recorded and interpreted by a Board Certified Sleep Physician. If Sleep Apnea is detected then recommendations of treatment will be made in the report. A CPAP device is one form of treatment but a Sleep Appliance (MAD) is also an excellent sleep apnea treatment device and patients find them much less cumbersome and easy to wear.
I recommend that if you are a male over 50 you should strongly consider being tested for Sleep Apnea. It could save both the quality of your life and...you life.
It should be noted that children also suffer from Sleep Apnea and this can cause daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, lack of mental acuity as well as behavioral issues like (ADD, ADHD, depression and anxiety)https://www.medicalnewstoday.c.... Unimpaired oxygen flow to the brain and body is more important than any physiological function. The interruption of oxygen will compromise your health in a myriad of ways. With children look for snoring loud breathing, open mouthed breathing, daytime fatigue and lack of ability to focus.
Think Oxygen. It's the currency of Life!
links to references made in the article:
https://aasm.org/rising-preval...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...
https://www.prweb.com/releases...
