They say that sleep does the body good–but what if sleep is what is hurting you the most? An estimated 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, but outside the image of a CPAP mask not many people really understand what that means. Sleep apnea is more than just snoring, it actually involves your body not breathing for long pauses, typically for lengths of 10 to 20 seconds. That may not seem like very long, but over the course of the night a sufferer can experience these episodes hundreds of times. This leads to a variety of serious health issues. Here are a few other things you may not know about sleep apnea:

Asthma patients face a greater risk:

Sufferers of asthma have enough trouble breathing easily during the day, so no wonder they are at such a greater risk of developing sleep apnea. Wearing a CPAP mask can help regulate breathing allowing those with asthma to have a more restful and productive night’s sleep.

Three times more likely to have heart disease:

An untreated sufferer of sleep apnea is at a far greater risk for heart disease. Those with an untreated case of apnea are also at a greater risk for stroke. Fortunately sleep apnea is very treatable with the use of a sleep apnea mask. A home sleep test can provide a diagnosis in the comfort of your own home, and without the need of going to a hospital.

80% of CPAP users don’t use it enough to keep them safe:

Shockingly, knowing what we know about the dangers of sleep apnea, the vast majority of CPAP machine users do not get the full benefit of their treatment, rendering their nasal CPAP mask useless. Of course you are tired after a long day, but if by simply putting on your CPAP mask before bed you could reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, why wouldn’t you do it?