Sleep apnea can be described as periodic pauses in breathing during sleep these pauses can be complete apnea’s or incomplete – hypopnea. A lot of people struggle with this and it can be a scary thing. Luckily though, there are things out there that can help people with this (such as CPAP masks, which can be found at CPAP.com.au masks for people who are interested in purchasing one).
Body and Health, an online magazine reports, “It’s one of the most common medical conditions in adults, affecting up to 5% of women and 15% of men between the ages of 30 and 60” Approximately 65% of people are at risk of Sleep Apnea. The Sleep Apnea Foundation has come up with some questions for people to answer.
These questions are as quoted by Body and Health:
- Are you a loud, habitual snorer?
- Do you feel tired and groggy when you wake up?
- Are you often sleepy during the day?
- Are you overweight?
- Are you known to choke, gasp, or hold your breath while asleep? (You may want to ask your partner about this.)
If most of them are “yes” then it is strongly advised you speak to your doctor to see how you can relieve your symptoms. You may also want to look into a Sleepify best mattress, especially if your mattress is older than 5 years, this is because sleep apnea can be caused by or aggravated by a mattress that does not properly support your back.
Avoiding alcohol and tobacco can also help reduce the severity of your sleep apnea. Partaking in breathing exercises like Yoga can possibly improve your condition.
Sleep apnea by itself may not affect your life insurance significantly, though this highly depends on the underlying causes of the condition as well as other factors. If your doctor has not prescribed anything or has recommended a remedy treatment such as Vibes CBD oils then the chances of affecting your policy premium are low to none. If you require a CPAP machine then it is very likely your Sleep Apnea is considered a risk that will affect your life insurance.
Underwriting Sleep Apnea
Some of the variables underwriters will look at when applying for traditional life insurance with sleep apnea are the following:
- The insureds age and smoking status
- How closely they are following their treatment program
- Any complications or hospitalization Nature and effectiveness of treatment
- The insured’s build
- Using a CPAP Machine to prevent the effects of sleep apnea.
- The presence of other conditions such as coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD, cardiac arrhythmia.
- Type of sleep apnea ( central obstructive are maxed and a bracket)
- In addition to the regular medical requirements such as a urine sample or blood sample. The insurance company may also want attending physician statement to verify the treatment and status of the condition.
For mild cases of sleep apnea a standard rating as possible for models for more complex cases the applicant will either be rated i.e. a surplus premium discharge due to the extra risk or decline.
Applicants with sleep apnea may want to consider submitting a preliminary inquiry before submitting a formal application.
Preliminary Inquiry
A preliminary inquiry is an informal inquiry made by an insurance advisor to an insurance company.
Preliminary inquiries can be a great way for an insurance broker to give their client a heads-up on a possible rating or potential decline.
This is especially important, as a single decline makes it considerably harder for the client to get approval from another carrier.
After all, many simplified-issue policies include a question about whether the client has been declined for life insurance.
