Sleep apnea and snoring are widely discussed as risk factors for inter
nal and neurological diseases. The pre valence of snoring in an Austri
an population survey is about 27.2% (males 36.5%, females 18.9%), and
that of apnea (respectively irregularity and/or cessation of breathing
) about 8.5% (31% of all snorers). Clinical symptoms like naps, daytim
e sleepiness, unquiet sleep, hypertonia, headache in the morning and p
sychological symptoms may be characteristics of sleep apnea. They shou
ld lead to further diagnosis and removal of this risk factor for ische
mic heart disease and stroke.