Not seeking out treatment for your sleep apnea, or yet to get your sleeping problems diagnosed? Please speak to your doctor immediately. Not treating sleep apnea is incredibly dangerous.
Can You Die of Sleep Apnea?
Yes and no. Sleep Apnea is a sleeping disorder that causes breathing to continually stop and start during sleep. Usually, when the body senses it’s not receiving enough oxygen, it will force a person to wake up. However, sleep apnea disrupts circadian rhythms, imbalances body and brain chemistry, interrupts cardiac and respiratory function, elevates blood pressure, and speeds up heart rate. According to sleepapnea.org, when allowed to continue untreated, sleeps apnea is an indicator of higher mortality.
What Happens If I Don’t Treat My Sleep Apnea?
Those who don’t seek treatment for their sleep apnea, either because they choose not to or because they are unaware they have it, are more likely to suffer from a heart attack, a stroke, and are three times more likely to die prematurely.
The more severe one’s sleep apnea, the higher the risk of death. In 2008, the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort discovered that heart disease was responsible for 42 percent of the deaths in people with severe sleep apnea . The risk of cardiac-related death is more than five times greater for those with untreated severe sleep apnea compared with those who do not have the condition.
And findings in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2005 suggest people with sleep apnea are far more likely to die in their sleep due to sudden cardiac events. According to sleepapnea.org, high carbon dioxide levels and low blood-oxygen levels in the bloodstream, lead to surges in oxidative stress to the walls of the heart, high blood pressure, and disruptions to the heart’s electrical rhythms.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Apnea refers to a range of disorders, but the most common is obstructive sleep apnea when your throat muscles repeatedly relax and block airways during sleep. When the soft tissues in your throat, such as your tongue and soft palate, temporarily relax, your airway is narrowed or closed, and breathing is momentarily cut off.
Is It Possible To Treat Sleep Apnea?
Treatments are available for sleep apnea. You may be required to use a mouthpiece as you sleep, or often patients are treated with a device that uses positive pressure to keep airways open during sleep. In some cases, surgery may even be an option too.
Check if you have sleep apnea while you sleep, has your partner noticed you:
- Making gasping, snorting, or choking noises
- Waking up a lot
- Snoring loudly
- Your breathing stopping and starting
During the day, you may also:
- Feel very tired
- Find it hard to concentrate
- Have mood swings
- Have a headache when you wake up
Sleep Apnea can be severe if it’s not diagnosed and treated. Consult your doctor if you have any of the main symptoms.
How Advanced Homecare Can Help You
Since opening as a small team of three back in 2005, our mission at Advanced Homecare Online has been to provide the very best sleep apnea Treatments for our patients.
We specialize in one-on-one relationships. Our office team members and Patient Care Instructors are committed to educating their patients about their condition and understanding each patient’s specific needs.
We’re proud of what we do. Learn how we can help treat your sleep apnea now!
