The month of June was set aside as National Aphasia Awareness Month, which means making sure your patients are staying on top of their health by treating sleep apnea and other symptoms in prevention of stroke. As you are aware, stroke is the number five cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke can have a variety of communication effects, one of which is aphasia. Stroke is the most common cause of aphasia, which is a language disorder that affects the ability to communicate. 

Raise Awareness for Aphasia

With June at an end, we can still continue to raise awareness for both stroke and aphasia. June was set as National Aphasia Awareness Month to help increase public education around this language disorder and to recognize the numerous people who are currently living with or caring for people with aphasia. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association continues to increase awareness for aphasia by sharing communication tips, the effects of having aphasia, assistive devices for those with aphasia and more. 

A Connection with Sleep Apnea

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women. But what you may not realize is that sleep apnea can lead to heart attacks, which can cause people to die in the middle of the night due to low oxygen or the stress of waking up frequently during sleep. 

As stated previously, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, while stroke takes fourth place for the cause of death and leading cause of disability with high blood pressure being a major risk in both conditions. The relationship between sleep apnea, hypertension, stroke and heart disease is very strong, which makes it vital that everyone understand this connection as to further prevent the development of aphasia as well. 

Sleep apnea can be easily treated to prevent stroke, aphasia and other comorbidities, which is why it is more important than ever to receive continuing education to further improve your patients’ well-being and health.