Sleep apnea—a condition in which you stop breathing for short periods of time while getting your nightly z’s—can do more than just make you tired. New research suggests that people who suffer from sleep apnea are more likely to die from cancer. 

“Clearly there is a correlation, but we are a long way from proving that sleep apnea causes cancer or contributes to its growth,” explained lead researcher F. Javier Nieto, PhD. “Our results suggest that sleep-disordered breathing [sleep apnea] is associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality in humans.”

Nieto and his colleagues presented their data at the American Thoracic Society 2012 International Conference in May, and also published their findings in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The researchers evaluated mortality data that was gathered for 22 years on 1,522 subjects from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort, a study on sleep apnea and other sleep disorders that began in 1989. The participants in that study underwent all-night evaluations of sleep and breathing as well as other tests that were performed at four-year intervals.

 After adjusting for age, sex, obesity and smoking, the researchers found that people with severe sleep apnea died of cancer 4.8 times more than people with no sleep breathing problems.  

"While the data regarding sleep apnea and cancer risk is still very preliminary, it makes sense that there may be a connection," explained naturopathic oncologist Lise Alschuler, ND, co-author of Five to Thrive: Your Cutting Edge Cancer Prevention Plan  (Active Interest Media, 2011). "Several studies have shown that lack of sleep or poor sleep quality can put the body into both an insulin-resistant and inflamed state, both of which are linked to increased risk of cancer development." Alschuler says many people with sleep apnea experience poor sleep quality or lack of sleep.

People with moderate to severe sleep apnea may want to explore using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine that keeps the upper airway passages open during sleep. Surgery is also performed in severe cases. In addition, many people benefit from the following lifestyle modifications:

• Losing weight (the more obese a person is, the worse his or her sleep apnea can be)
• Avoiding alcohol, especially right before bed
• Avoiding sleeping pills
• Using a saline nasal spray at night before bed