It was sad to see in the news today that Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher died from sleep apnoea and “other causes” according to the Los Angeles coroner. However, her death certificate states she suffered a cardiac arrest, and in a statement the LA coroner said the exact cause was unknown. [1] For me, as someone passionate about raising awareness of the damage sleep apnoea can do, it is especially sad to hear that sleep apnoea was involved. But note, that even though sleep apnoea was listed as a cause of death [2] , it was not marked as such on the death certificate… because * sleep apnoea doesn’t normally kill people, but it exacerbates conditions, so undiagnosed/untreated sleep apnoea sufferers will die of stroke or heart attack, for example. My question then is does sleep apnoea not get the recognition, does it not have the level of awareness in the general public BECAUSE it is not listed as a cause of death? Imagine if the evening news stated that there had been a
Questioning commentary on all things snoring and sleep. Committed to raising the profile of snoring, helping people to stop snoring, sourcing effective treatments and where needed, getting tested and treated for sleep apnoea too. Snoring affects more than just the snorer. The sleep quality of partners and families are impacted.