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Sleep apnea linked to ecstasy use

Written by: David Castillo on December 3rd, 2009

Sleep apnea linked to ecstasy use | read this item

According to recent studies, the illegal drug known as ecstasy has links to sleep apnea.

“People who use ecstasy need to know that this drug damages the brain and can cause immediate and dangerous problems such as sleep apnea,” explained Dr. Una McCann, the author of the study.

McCann and colleagues conducted the sleep study on 71 people who used ecstasy and 62 people who did not use ecstasy. The results indicated that ecstasy users had an eight-fold increased risk of getting sleep apnea compared to the non-ecstasy users group. However, only 13 percent of the ecstasy subjects had moderate sleep apnea and one percent had severe cases of the sleep disorder.

The results also indicated that prolonged ecstasy use can increase chances for getting sleep apnea. The study also concluded that ecstasy is more closely linked to sleep apnea compared to obesity.

“Our findings may be explained by how ecstasy damages neurons related to serotonin, a chemical in the brain that is involved in sleep regulation and breathing, among other important functions,” commented McCann. “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.”

Source: USNews

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