OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
Below are five health issues you might face if you have OSA
High blood pressure
If you already have high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea may deteriorate the conditions. Waking up often during the night can cause your hormone systems to go into overdrive, which increases your blood pressure levels to dangerous levels. When you can’t breathe well in your sleep, the level of oxygen in your blood falls, which may worsen the problem. Immediate and consistent treatment does make a difference. Some people with high Blood Pressure (BP) who get medical help for sleep apnea can cut back on their blood pressure medications.
Heart disease
People with OSA have the tendency to have heart attacks. The causes may be low oxygen level or the stress of waking up often in the night. Stroke and atrial fibrillation – a problem with the rhythm of your heartbeat — are also linked with the condition. Sleep apnea disrupts oxygen intake by the body, which makes it hard for your brain to facilitate the blood flows in your arteries and the brain itself.
Type 2 diabetes
Sleep apnea is common among diabetic patients – study shows that up to 80% of them have OSA. Obesity raises a person’s risk for both disorders ( Diabetes and OSA ). Although studies haven’t shown a clear link between sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes, not getting sufficient sleep prevents your body from using insulin properly, which leads to diabetes.
Weight gain
Putting on weights raises your chances of getting sleep apnea, and the condition also makes it harder to slim down. Overweight people have fatty deposits in their neck that block breathing at night. Sleep apnea can make your body release more of the hormone ghrelin, which makes you crave carbs and sweets. And when you are tired constantly, you might not be able to turn the food you eat into energy efficiently, which can lead to weight gain. It is a vicious cycle. Treatment for sleep apnea can make you feel better, with more energy for exercise and other activities.
Car accidents
When you feel groggy, that can increase the risk of falling asleep at the wheel. According to statistics, people with sleep apnea are up to five times more likely than normal sleepers to have traffic accidents.
Sleep apnea affects more than 3 in 10 men and nearly 1 in 5 women,
so it’s more common than you might think.*
*Sleep-disordered breathing affects 34% of men and 17% of women aged between 30-70. Peppard et al. Increased Prevalence of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2013 (5.17)