Obstructive sleep apnea and melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that is produced in the brain in stage 4 of sleep. Melatonin is apparently able to suppress the growth of breast cancer tumors. Researchers at Michigan State University recently completed a study and published it in the journal Genes & Cancer showing this result.
At night, serotonin is manufactured in the brain at night. Melatonin is manufactured from this serotonin so if the body is low on serotonin, the body will also be low on melatonin. And this melatonin is used by the body to regulate our sleep stages — stages 1, 2, 3, 4, and REM or rapid eye movement. So there are 5 stages, but some have combined 3 and 4 into one stage, but we will use 5 stages here.
This study done at Michigan State University seems to show that melatonin keeps breast cancer stem cells from growing. The researchers grew tumors called mammospheres from stem cells. Supplementing with melatonin decreased the number and size of mammospheres in the study compared to the control group.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition in which there are repeated blockages in the throat during sleep causing pauses in breathing. If there are more than 5 of these events per hour of sleep, each event lasting 10 seconds or longer, a patient is diagnosed with OSA.
OSA is usually accompanied with loud snoring and daytime tiredness. But the effects on the patient’s health are extreme. My website, www.NwSleepDoc.com lists many of them.
These OSA events keep patients from getting into stage 4 of the sleep cycle. That is the stage in which serotonin is made in the brain. So a patient that has untreated OSA will have a reduced level of serotonin. And since melatonin is made from serotonin, patients with untreated OSA will have a lower level of melatonin and apparently a greater risk of breast cancer.
Treating OSA is easy. My website shows what symptoms to look for to see if you should be tested for OSA. Snoring is the big warning sign that you need to be tested and treated to prevent or reverse the damage that OSA can cause. Testing for OSA is easy and can be done in your own home.
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Dr. Donald Johnson founded Northwest Treatment Center for Snoring & Sleep Apnea in Coeur d’Alene to help patients stop their snoring and live free with no limits! Obstructive sleep apnea is usually able to be treated with a small oral appliance. Dr. Johnson’s office is at 114 W. Neider Ave., near Costco. The website for more information is www.NWSleepDoc.com and the office phone is (208) 667-4551. Schedule a free consultation appointment today!