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What are the complications of sleep apnea?

On several occasions, we have heard people talking about the complications of sleep apnea. But it seems people are not taking it seriously. Perhaps, the presentation looks unreal. Let this be a background knowledge; there are complications of sleep apnea. In this article, we will discuss the intricacies of sleep apnea in detail. Therefore, this article requires one hundred percent attention. You can trust us; you will get the information you need to know in its simplest. 

However, before we jump into the details, it would be nice to talk about what sleep apnea entails. 

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a life-threatening sleep disorder in which breathing is affected. With sleep apnea, the breathing stops and starts repeatedly. On the other hand, one is considered battling sleep apnea if one snores loudly during sleep. We can’t define sleep apnea (SA) without considering its types. Seemingly, there are three types of SA. They are; obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and complex sleep apnea syndrome. 

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the throat muscles relax. It occurs when the muscles in the back of one’s throat relax excessively to allow normal breathing. Also, central sleep apnea occurs when one’s brain doesn’t send the proper signal to the muscles that control breathing. And once the muscles that control breathing fail to receive the appropriate signal from the brain, central sleep apnea will occur. 

What are the complications of sleep apnea?

Hence, what is complex sleep apnea syndrome? Complex sleep apnea syndrome is otherwise known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea. It occurs when one has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. In other words, it is the combination of the first-mentioned two types of sleep apnea.  

However, there are common symptoms of this sleep disorder. It could be morning headache, loud snoring, irritability, insomnia, hypersomnia, and difficulty staying asleep. You might be wondering if loud snoring is among the symptoms of sleep apnea. Some people assume that snoring is a natural case that cannot be controlled. That’s not true. When one snores loudly, something is wrong. Of course, such a person might be suffering or battling sleep apnea. Other symptoms are; awakening with a dry mouth, difficulty paying attention while awake, and episodes in which one stops breathing during sleep (thus, another person could report this). 

What are the complications of sleep apnea?

  1. Daytime fatigue: One of the complications of SA is excess fatigue. One might find it so hard to concentrate, and one may also fall asleep while working and while watching television. In fact, one may lose concentration while driving. That is why people battling sleep apnea are prone to have accidents. Also, one might feel moody, depressed, and quick-tempered. Adolescents and Children with SA might have low academic performance at school. Kids may also have behavioral problems. What are we saying in essence? The repeated awakenings associated with SA make normal, restorative sleep impossible and cause daytime drowsiness. Furthermore, fatigue and irritability may likely set in.
  2. High blood pressure or heart problems: The moment the brain fails to send signals to the muscles that control breathing, sleep apnea might occur. So, once you have sleep apnea, you may likely have high blood pressure or heart problems. How? The sudden drops in blood oxygen intensities happen when sleep apnea upsurges blood pressure and strains the cardiovascular system. So, one can have hypertension. 
  3. Type 2 diabetes: If one has SA, there’s a tendency that sleep apnea increases one’s risk of creating or developing insulin resistance and diabetes (type 2). One of the complications of sleep apnea is diabetes. 
What are the complications of sleep apnea?
  1. Metabolic syndrome: Abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood sugar, increased waist circumference, and other diseases caused by the metabolic syndrome are all linked to a higher risk of heart disease.     
  2. Liver problems: People battling sleep apnea are prone to unpleasant results on liver function tests. Not only that, the lives of people with sleep orders are prone to having a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. That is why one needs to rise and do the needful by having a proper checkup. We have carried out a series of seminars on how to prevent sleep apnea so that one’s liver will not be affected. 
  3. Sleep-deprived partners: Snoring loudly can keep people away from sleeping with you in a room. Have you seen people isolating someone who can’t do without snoring during sleep? People who sleep with someone who snores don’t get good rest. We have seen some cases in which the other person has to vacate the room to have a sound sleep. Therefore, one of the complications of sleep apnea is that it will deprive partners of good sleep. To be honest with you, this matter is a serious matter. It has brought separation between friends, husbands, wives, and relatives. Some couples don’t stay in the same room because one of them snores loudly and the other person will not get good rest. 

Action plan

We call this session an action plan because we notice people tend to take the matter of sleep apnea with levity. With the above-listed complications, the next thing that may likely cross your mind is, “what are you going to do.” The only, the first, and the best step to take is to consult your doctor. Tell your doctor how you feel. Explain in detail the symptoms you’re seeing. Then, the next step to take will come from medical personnel. They are the ones to take you through the process of recovery. Your doctor might tell you to get some drugs or medications, and he might do otherwise. They know better. We urge you to take this aspect seriously. Do not engage in self-medication. It is dangerous. In fact, don’t act based on what you see online. 

On a final note

Dear reader, this write-up is a whole concept of what you need to know regarding complications of sleep apnea. We explained in detail the meaning of sleep apnea. And we also present the complications of sleep apnea extensively. Finally, we hope you will agree that this write-up worth sharing on social media platforms. Please share the link to this page with friends and family. Hence, if you have a question regarding this topic, kindly drop it in the comment box.  

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