Sleep apnea is actually a serious sleep disorder in which people continuously stop and start breathing. If you snore loudly then you may suffer from sleep apnea, and people with this kind of problem usually feel tired even after sleeping all night.
The main types of sleep apnea are:
- Obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax.
- Complex sleep apnea syndrome, also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
- Central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn’t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
High blood pressure – If you suffer from high blood pressure, sleep apnea can worsen the problem because waking up overnight can overload your hormone system which leads to increased blood pressure. If you are not breathing normally, the oxygen level in the blood drops which also makes the problem worse. Some treatments can help. There are people with high blood pressure who underwent treatments against sleep apnea and were able to stop taking medicines against HBP.
Heart disease – People who suffer from sleep apnea are more likely to suffer from heart attacks.
The reason might be low oxygen level or stress of waking up often. Atrial fibrillation (problem with the rhythm of the heartbeat) or stroke are also linked with this condition.
Sleep apnea reduces the oxygen in the body which prevents the brain to control the blood flow in the arteries and the brain itself.
Type 2 diabetes– Up to 80% of diabetics suffer from sleep apnea. Obesity can be the cause of both medical conditions. Although there are no scientific evidence about the connection between sleep apnea and diabetes type – 2 without enough sleep your body cannot use the insulin properly and this leads to diabetes.
Weight gain- Excess weight increases your chances of getting sleep apnea, which then makes it harder to lose pounds. Obese people usually have fatty deposits on the neck which prevent them from breathing properly. Sleep apnea also increases the secretion of the hormone ghrelin which triggers the desire for carbs and sweets. As you feel tired after not sleeping properly, you are not able to exercise which leads to gaining weight.
Adult asthma- It is not proven that sleep apnea is linked with this medical condition but some people claim that after treating the sleep apnea they had less asthma attacks.
Acid reflux– many people claim that these conditions are connected and after solving the problem with sleep apnea the problem with the acid reflux is reduced as well.
Car accidents– When you feel groggy all the time, there is a bigger chance that you will fall asleep behind the wheel. People who are not sleeping properly are up to five times more likely than normal sleepers to have traffic accidents.
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