This just in from the bulletin of really obvious news- taking recreational drugs can cause health problems. Strangely, however, there is some relevance for snoring. Ecstasy use has now been linked to Sleep Apnea, and other respiratory problems.
As we know, Sleep Apnea causes a drop in oxygen levels in the blood, and has been linked to strokes, diabetes, and mental impairment and heart attacks. To add it to the list of conditions that can be caused from illegal drug-taking is yet another entry in the already bulging case-file of evidence that drugs are clearly not a good thing.
One might be tempted to ask what good that does the every-day consumer looking to deal with Sleep Apnea problems- if you need to be told ‘don’t take Ecstasy’ to keep your Sleep Apnea under control, it probably isn’t your biggest problem, let’s put it that way!
But there is something there- Ecstasy use has been shown to have a more direct correlation with Sleep Apnea than obesity, which as we know is generally regarded as a major contributor to this problem. Increased Ecstasy use has also seemed to increase this correlation.
This is interesting because Ecstasy has been linked to damage in the brain’s ability to produce Serotonin, a hormone strongly linked to sleep regulation, and breathing. This might well indicate a stronger cause, and maybe a possible future treatment, for Sleep Apnea.
Now, this is speculation, of course it is. But it might be an interesting example of how research in one area can illuminate another. It also shows us we really don’t know everything about Sleep Apnea and snoring yet.
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