5 Dangerous Side Effects of Sleep Apnea

Snoring can be an irritation for your bed mate, and feeling sleepy all day can take its toll on you. But if you’re suffering from sleep apnea, then these nuisances are far from your biggest problems. If you put off sleep apnea treatment in Rowley for too long, you could be putting your body at a higher risk for multiple issues. Consider the following 5 examples of possible sleep apnea side effects to be 5 good reasons to see a sleep expert right away!

1. Heightened Blood Pressure

Waking up frequently throughout the night due to a lack of oxygen puts your body through a lot of stress and can cause your blood pressure to rise as a result. As you’re probably well aware, high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart problems and other health issues. Sleep apnea treatment has been shown to improve blood pressure levels, but in the meantime you might want to consult your doctor about using medication to control them.

2. Heart Disease

Heart attacks occur more frequently in people with sleep apnea. This is likely due to low oxygen levels disrupting the body and impeding the brain’s ability to control the flow of blood in the arteries. Similarly, sleep apnea is also closely linked to strokes.

3. Type 2 Diabetes

80% or more of people with type 2 diabetes also suffer from sleep apnea. There has been no clear causal link between the two conditions, but it may have to do with the fact that both are often a result of obesity. In any case, a lack of quality sleep can easily make diabetes worse since it can stop the body from using insulin properly.

4. Weight Gain

Sleep apnea and weight gain are linked in what could be described as a vicious cycle. Obesity can further narrow the airways to cause or worsen sleep apnea. Conversely, a lack of sleep can make it harder to lose weight due to metabolic issues. Both obesity and sleep apnea can have increasingly devastating effects on your health as time goes on.

5. Liver Problems

Sleep apnea has been shown to affect the liver in a variety of ways. You may be more likely to receive abnormal results on a liver function test, and your doctor is more likely to find scarring that’s indicative of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Having your sleep apnea treated by a dentist in Rowley can go a long way towards relieving (and in some cases, curing) the above health issues. Don’t wait until something has already gone wrong with your health; make an appointment as soon as you have any reason to think that sleep apnea is keeping you awake.

About the Author

Dr. J. Peter St. Clair has been in the dental field since 1995. He has a special interest in treating patients with sleep apnea and soon expects to receive board certification from the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. If you have questions about how sleep apnea could be affecting your health and how you can treat it, visit his website or call (978) 948-2030.