When sleep is disrupted night after night by the frequent awakenings caused by sleep apnea and by the decreased flow of oxygen to the brain and other tissues caused by the totally obstructed breathing in sleep apnea and the partially obstructed breathing in snoring,health suffers.
Sleep apnea is the cessation of airflow lasting more than 10 seconds, and the majority of sleep apnea sufferers experience several episodes per night. While it may not seem like a pressing danger because the apneic eventually awakens slightly to take the necessary breath, the lack of oxygen to the body, even for a short period of time, can have lasting health effects. When the airway collapses due to negative pressure from the expansion of the lungs, the body experiences a significant drop in oxygen saturation, from 95% to as low as 50%. This oxygen starvation can cause countless health problems, most notably an increased risk of stroke and heart attack.
During sleep apnea events, patients are forced to come out of nourishing REM sleep in order to regain breath. This intermittent interruption throughout the night carries over to the next day, seriously affecting the body's ability to function. Alertness and concentration are easily broken, and patients may experience fatigue and poor productivity as a result of excessive daytime sleepiness. And sleep apnea sufferers are not alone in health risks from sleep apnea--reports of apneic patients falling asleep at the wheel, or causing an accident are not uncommon, and it is estimated that partners of apneics loose an average of one hour of sleep a night.
Serious health problems caused by OSA can include:
- Stroke
- Heart Attack
- Hypertension
- Heart Failure
- Cardiac Arrhythmia
- Diabetes
- Gastric Reflux
- Inefficient Metabolism
- Learning, Concentration, and Memory Problems
- Sexual Dysfunction/ Impotence
- Depression
- Weight Gain/ Obesity
- Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
- Fibromyalgia
