Sleep Apnea Complications

Anytime there is a disturbance in the normal circadian rhythm and sleep pattern, there will be complications to some extent.  Physiological and psychological complaints are often heard from patients who suffer with Sleep Apnea.

Many patients who are diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea are at a greater risk for developing other health problems, such as:

• Increased Blood Pressure
• Heart Problems
• Pulmonary Hypertension
• Insulin Resistance
• Death

All of these problems are serious and need to be treated.  In many instances, treating these underlying problems will resolve the symptoms of the Sleep Apnea.

Increased Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a common problem among patients who suffer with Sleep Apnea.  The lapse in breathing puts undo stress upon the heart and causes blood oxygen levels to decrease.  This activates a response within the sympathetic nervous system which triggers the blood vessels to constrict.  This constriction sends more blood to the brain and muscles.  This whole process causes the heart to work harder than usual, and with the decreased blood oxygen content, the heart is not working efficiently at all.  This causes a chain reaction of problems because, while night time is normally when the heart gets to rest, it now has to work even harder than during the day and will eventually become exhausted.  Treating the blood pressure may help to treat the Sleep Apnea.

Heart Problems

Obstructive Sleep Apnea increases the patient’s risk of developing heart failure, stroke, and sudden death.

Cardiovascular Problems

The blood oxygen levels which are manipulated by Sleep Apnea are serious and linked to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.  High blood pressure leads to stroke and heart failure.  The risk of developing these disorders increases as the Sleep Apnea progressively worsens.

Daytime Fatigue

Because of the abrupt interruption of breathing, patients often completely awaken or drift from a deep sleep state to a lighter one.  This results in daytime fatigue, drowsiness, and irritability.  People who get sporadic sleep are usually accident prone, grouchy, and suffer from a diminished mental capacity.  Patients will often, fall asleep at work, in school, while watching television or while driving.

Medication Complications

People who suffer with Sleep Apnea may have a difficult time recovering after a surgery.  Because of their prevalent breathing problems, lying down and being sedated exasperate the symptoms of Sleep Apnea and can become very dangerous.

Personal Relationship Problems

If you suffer with any type of Sleep Apnea, the people who share your home share your problem.  Typically, sufferers of Sleep Apnea snore very loudly, gasp for air, grunt, and snort, are silent, and then begin the cycle again.  Your Sleep Apnea is probably causing great strain on your loved ones and you may not even know about it.  If your sleeping partner cannot deal with the stress of not sleeping any longer, he or she may take up sleeping in a different room.  This could cause relationship strains for many, obvious reasons.

People who suffer with Sleep Apnea also, become very irritable, depressed, experience memory loss; suffer with frequent headaches, mood swings, and Nocturia.