Did You Know That Women Living With Sleep Apnea Have Higher Mortality Rates Than Men Do?
Medical professionals and sleep researchers have been studying obstructive sleep apnea symptoms in women, like increased risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as, what causes snoring in females.
So, what does a woman with sleep apnea do to get the best term insurance rates?
We’ve added 7 MORE steps to our list of actionable steps that women with sleep apnea should do in order to position themselves to be the best life insurance applicants possible
1. Get A sleep study And Treatment
Why is this important?
Life insurance companies want to see that women with sleep apnea are taking the proper precautions to keep it under control. Provide a recent sleep study that proves your efforts are helping you maintain the effects of sleep apnea.
2. Use CPAP Equipment Consistently
Obvious, right? If you are prescribed a CPAP or other helpful device to aid you in living with sleep apnea, make sure you are regularly wearing the tools and appropriately.
3. Proof Of Progress For Sleep Apnea Treatment
Look:
Insurance carriers want to know you are a low risk. You’ll want to show your insurance company that you are responding well to the treatment and share any reduced side effects of sleep apnea.
4. Check The Neck-Sleep Apnea Neck Size Is A Regularly Monitored Symptom In Men And Women With The Condition.
Sound silly? It’s serious.
It matters!
In general, neck circumference is considered to be a risk factor for snoring and sleep apnea when the circumference of a woman’s neck is greater than 16 inches. Make sure your doctor is monitoring this at regular visits.
5. Report Other Symptoms.
For example, the effects of sleep apnea and women are many. As doctors and researchers look to find what causes snoring in females, as well as, other, more common, sleep apnea symptoms in women, sharing details of other concerns you have may help with proper diagnosis and, ultimately, coverage. Here are things to report, to name a few:
Hypertension
Cardiovascular disease
Depression
Stroke
Obesity
6. Drive Carefully And While Alert If You Have Sleep Apnea!
Warning!
Sleep apnea and fatigue are not in the same category. It is important to report accurately how sleep apnea affects your everyday life. However, sleep apnea is NOT the same as “nodding off.” Sleep apnea is a chronic condition–nodding off is a temporary issue cured by sleep itself. Therefore, your insurance company will also be looking for a record of no sleep-related accidents while driving.
7. if you have sleep apnea–Kick the habit.
Smoking causes upper airway inflammation. This inflammation causes the nose, uvula, and throat to swell, which reduces the space in the airway. The inflammation then contributes to increased severity of sleep apnea. Make matters better by kicking the habit as soon as possible.
What can these 7 steps do for you?
Here’s An optimistic case study for you where a women with sleep apnea got the best term life rates:
Kathy, a non-smoker, applied for life insurance when she was a 52-year-old female
She was diagnosed at age 42 with mild OSA via a sleep study and was prescribed nightly use of a CPAP machine.
She uses the CPAP machine every night and visits her doctor twice per year follow up on her sleep apnea, as well as, monitor her neck size.
Her medical records clearly document her continued use and successful treatment while also showing a post-treatment sleep study that shows the progress being made by her and her doctor’s efforts.
Outcome: Kathy was approved as a preferred rate class, with a very affordable annual premium for term insurance.
What’s the bottom line?
If you are a woman living with sleep apnea, you still have a good chance of qualifying for inexpensive term life insurance coverage!
Your best bet is to follow these 7 steps so you can avoid unpredictable term insurance rate classification.
If this information has been helpful and informative, please comment below? Do you have, or does someone you know, suffer from sleep apnea? We’d love to hear your comments and stories. There are many resources available to OSA/CSA sufferers.
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