More and more people are being diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. Once diagnosed, finding a low cost life insurance policy can be difficult.

Sleep Apena is defined on webmd.com as "a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This means the brain -- and the rest of the body -- may not get enough oxygen."

There are two types of sleep apnea:

1. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): The more common of the two forms of apnea, it is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep.

2. Central sleep apnea: Unlike OSA, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe due to instability in the respiratory control center.

The diagnosis of Sleep Apnea has a negative effect on the person who is applying for life insurance because of the many potentially caused health problems. These include, diabetes, heart failure, heart attack, irregular heart beat and stroke as well as many others.

The person with sleep apnea may apply for term, universal or whole life insurance and the results will be the same. The insurance company will likely charge a higher premium even if the applicant is young and otherwise healthy in anticipation of these health problems occurring later in life.

With sleep apnea it is important to maintain your overall health in terms of keeping your weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar low. If you have had a sleep study, make sure to have the results available for your insurance agent. Many times people who are diagnosed with sleep apnea are prescribed a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. If you have been prescribed a CPAP make sure to use it as instructed by your doctor.

If you have sleep apnea - applying for a life insurance policy online without speaking with an insurance agent will most likely result in a substandard rate or even a decline. It is important to work with a knowledgeable and experienced life insurance agent or agent who represents many different carriers and has experience with hard to place life insurance. Working with an insurance agent is especially needed if you are applying for a policy face amount for $1,000,000 or more.

A life insurance agent will first get to know you, your health history and life style. When an insurance agent understands you, then they can select the most appropriate life insurance companies to apply with and can really help to build a case for a low premium rate with the life insurance underwriter that will help obtain a more favorable health rating. When applying online the underwriter only sees numbers on a screen which may look the same as the next application who also has sleep apnea but may be out of shape. However, an agent has the ability to add things like "the applicant lives all year in Orange County California where he plays tennis 5 days a week and he has been prescribed a CPAP which is used regularly knowing they’ll feel so much more rested in the morning". With the right insurance agent, a 60 year old male applicant might be able to receive a Standard rate on a $1,000,000 ten year term life insurance policy which is a considerable savings for the insured.