Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentistry

Dental Sleep Medicine & Drug Abuse

Monday, December 07, 2009

Dental Sleep Medicine and Drug Abuse

Factors that create a risk for sleep apnea are well documented; high blood pressure, snoring, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Now researchers believe that a recreational drug creates a greater risk for the affects of sleep apnea than obesity.

In a study was performed at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore sleep tests were performed on 71 people who'd used ecstasy (MDMA) and 62 people who'd never used the illegal drug. Ecstasy users had a more than eight-fold increased risk of sleep apnea compared to non-users. "People who use ecstasy need to know that this drug damages the brain and can cause immediate and dangerous problems such as sleep apnea," study author Dr. Una McCann, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore stated.

In the study published in the December issue of Neurology
Dr McCann stressed "Sleep apnea in itself is dangerous, but it can also contribute to thinking problems in people who use ecstasy because chronic sleep disruption is known to have a negative effect on how a person functions during the daytime."
Should you have any questions about sleep apnea and the potentially lethal impacts it can have, please give us a call at 561-394-9000. We will arrange for a consultation to address the concerns that could be preventing you from getting a healthy nights rest!

Kenneth A. Mogell, D.M.D.