If you have been diagnosed with or suspect having obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), you might want to consider taking it seriously and consult the doctor of your condition as it brings along 8 other health risks such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, brain damage, depression, diabetes, obesity, and mortality.
Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form of sleep disorder that occurs when the muscle relaxes during sleep that causes the soft tissue in the back of the throat to collapse and block the airway where breathing pauses during sleep from 10 seconds to a minute or even longer, and the body briefly wakes up to gasp for breath in a repetitive cycle throughout the night. If one has severe sleep apnea, the pauses in breathing can be up to hundreds of times and produce drastic changes in blood pressure and oxygen levels that causes disrupted sleep and puts the body under a large amount of stress, and overtime if left untreated it increases the risk for many other health problems.
Multiple studies have shown that sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure or hypertension, and the condition depends on the severity of sleep apnea, especially severe sleep apnea affects one with a greater increase in blood pressure, and it can occur in children with sleep apnea. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, having sleep apnea and if left untreated increases the risk for irregular heartbeat, coronary artery disease, heart attack, and congestive heart failure. A 2006 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology also found that sleep apnea can affect the shape of the heart with enlargement on one side, thickened walls, and reduced pump function. Similarly, stroke is the third leading cause of death and the risk increases with sleep apnea which can occur when blood flow to the brain is interrupted as a result of either a blood clot that blocks an artery or from a broken blood vessel. Sleep apnea also causes brain damage that affects the brain structures that help control functions such as memory, mood and blood pressure. Depression is also common in people with sleep apnea, even those with mild sleep apnea, and the risk increases with the severity of sleep apnea. Type 2 diabetes which is a leading cause of death
in the United States occurs when the body fails to use insulin effectively, and research has shown that sleep apnea can contribute to the onset of diabetes, and is associated with impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. Sleep apnea promotes weight gain, and obesity is a risk factor for sleep apnea as sleep apnea disrupts sleep, reduces day time energy and physical activity, disrupts
metabolism, and alters the hormone level that regulates appetite which leads one to eat more in a vicious cycle. Lastly, studies in Journal SLEEP show that those with sleep apnea are at greater risk of death than those without, and the risk is greater for those with more severe sleep apnea if left untreated. More importantly, sleep apnea can be treated with great success such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and reduce the risks of these 8 health risks.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of sleep apnea such as snoring, daytime sleepiness, irritability, and low energy, it is important to consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis early and the underlying issue of the cause of sleep apnea. Depending on your financial situation and sleep apnea condition, the doctor will work through with you the type of sleep apnea test in the comfort of your home or an in-lab sleep test to determine the precise nature of your condition to avoid any long-term issues. Besides most insurance companies now pay for sleep testing and CPAP OSA treatment, early intervention with a sleep apnea device can stop snoring or one can a sleep apnea CPAP trial from the equipment supplier or distributor that distributes a range of sleep apnea machines and CPAP supplies for a better quality of sleep and healthier overall well-being.
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