Sleep

Sleep Apnea Symptoms After 60 (Not Just Snoring) and What It Does to Your Heart

Nurse Ade, BSN, RN · October 22, 2026 · 22 min

Educational only, not medical advice. Talk to your own doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist. In an emergency, call 911.

What this video covers

Loud snoring is often treated as a family joke, but it can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, and most people who have it have never been diagnosed. In this video, Nurse Ade explains in plain words what happens inside your body each time your breathing stops during sleep, and how those repeated pauses strain your blood pressure and your heart. She covers the five signs a bed partner often notices first, and the link between sleep apnea, high blood pressure, AFib and heart failure.

You will also learn who should be tested, how a home sleep test compares with an overnight sleep study, and the treatment choices, from CPAP and oral appliances to weight loss and nerve stimulation. Nurse Ade explains what the SAVE trial found about CPAP, why a CPAP machine only helps while you are actually wearing it, and how Medicare covers CPAP, step by step. This video is for adults over 60 and for the family members who hear them snore.

Key points

• The 5 signs of sleep apnea a bed partner may notice first
• What each breathing pause does to your oxygen, blood pressure and heart
• The link with high blood pressure, AFib and heart failure
• Who should be tested, and the home test vs the overnight sleep study
• Treatment choices: CPAP, oral appliances, weight loss and nerve stimulation
• What the SAVE trial found about CPAP, and how Medicare covers CPAP

Chapters

1. 0:00 Why loud snoring can matter
2. 1:21 The straw picture: pinch, gasp, strain, test, fix
3. 2:34 What obstructive sleep apnea is
4. 2:50 5 signs of sleep apnea
5. 3:35 What happens each time breathing stops
6. 5:01 Sleep apnea and high blood pressure
7. 5:35 Heart strain, AFib and heart failure
8. 7:34 Who has sleep apnea: the research
9. 9:20 Who should be tested for sleep apnea
10. 10:40 How the sleep apnea test works
11. 11:07 Sleep apnea treatment choices
12. 12:25 Why wear your CPAP: the SAVE trial
13. 14:23 Medicare CPAP coverage, step by step
14. 15:46 Common mix-ups and words to know
15. 17:20 Questions to ask your doctor
16. 19:03 Quick review and your sleep note