Why Sleep Apnea Can Be So Dangerous

Why Sleep Apnea can be so Dangerous

Sleep apnea not only affects your sleep, but can prove dangerous to other people, as well as put your own life in severe danger from the array of health issues attributed to the condition.  A lack of sleep as a result of suffering from sleep apnea causes hundreds of car crashes every year alone, and highlights the extreme dangers of sleep apnea and underlines why sleep apnea can be so dangerous.

For those sufferers receiving treatment for sleep apnea, they soon find their blood pressure lowers, allowing them to lose weight much more easily.  Motivation and work performance both improve as does the short term memory.

Sleep apnea can be so dangerous in terms of road accidents.  Studies indicate that driving whilst excessively tired is equally as dangerous as driving under the effects of alcohol or drugs.  This not only identifies a danger for the sleep apnea sufferer but also for other road users, whose lives are being put in potential danger.  This is due to the fact that whilst tired, reaction times reduce and judgment is often skewed.

Cardiac related problems have also been connected with sleep apnea and a lack of sleep.  The body does not have as much time to recuperate during reduced sleep, which in turn causes the pulse speed to increase and blood pressure to consequently rise.  Less time to relax, does not offer enough time for the body to properly heal itself.

Strain is put on blood vessels which can lead to heart disease and strokes.  In extreme cases, this can lead to arrhythmias and death.  Sufferers of sleep apnea have larger hearts, but by using the treatment available, within 6 months, the heart can return to a more normal size and the function of the heart considerably improves.

Due to a dramatic decrease in oxygen levels and an increase in carbon dioxide levels, sleep apnea sufferers remain at a high level of risk of a cardiac arrest during the hours of 10pm and 6am.  More than half of all cardiac related sleep apnea deaths occurred during this timeframe.

The brain requires rest to grow and to continue to function correctly.  The lack of sleep caused by sleep apnea can lead to decreased cognitive learning, short term memory loss and skewed judgment.  Simple tasks become more difficult, which can have a dangerous affect on your job if your performance continues to suffer.  The nature of the symptoms has resulted in the condition being regarded as a Federal Social Security disability.

Obesity has also been linked to a lack of sleep.  Hormones which control how much we eat become unbalanced with sleep apnea sufferers, and when combined with the lack of energy to perform any kind of exercise can result in heavy weight gain.

The dangers of sleep apnea are clear, and if you suffer from sleep apnea and are currently not treating the condition then you should seek medical assistance immediately to combat the effects which make sleep apnea so dangerous.