Untreated sleep apnea is dangerous and when it goes untreated, it can lead to a variety of health complications. From an increased risk of cardiovascular disease to diabetes, health complications associated with sleep apnea should never be ignored. To help you gain a better understanding, let’s take a look at a few health problems linked with sleep apnea.
Heart Disease. As you might know, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, while stroke takes fourth place for the cause of death and a leading cause of disability with high blood pressure being a major risk in both conditions. The relationship between sleep apnea, hypertension and cardiovascular disease is very strong, which makes it vital that everyone understand this connection and seek treatment immediately.
High Blood Pressure. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can contribute to high blood pressure in people who have it due to the frequency of waking up at nighttime. Because of this, hormonal systems go into overdrive, which results in high blood pressure levels. The sudden drops in blood-oxygen levels that occur during sleep apnea episodes increase blood pressure and place a strain on your cardiovascular system.
Type 2 Diabetes. People suffering from Type 2 diabetes will often also suffer from sleep apnea, which can also lead to obesity. As you might know, obesity is another common comorbidity of sleep apnea. In addition to obesity, diabetes and sleep apnea share a long list of other potential complications. While treating sleep apnea is important in getting a good night’s sleep, treatment can also help treat and maybe even eradicate many other diabetic complications.
Obesity. When people are severely overweight, they can fail to breathe rapidly enough or deep enough. When this occurs, it results in low blood oxygen levels and high blood carbon dioxide levels. And when this happens, many people who are obese stop breathing altogether for short periods of time during sleep. In return, this places an extreme strain on the heart, which can lead to symptoms of heart failure.
Sleep apnea can be easily treated to prevent many of the common health complications, so take charge and visit Dr. Mayoor Patel in Atlanta, GA for proper treatment planning.