Health

The Effect of Obstructive Sleep Apnea On Your Health

If you suffer from sleep apnea, you might notice that you are always feeling more tired and drained than you should every day. Unfortunately, sleep apnea can be doing much more to you than just keeping you feeling sleepy. In fact, it can exacerbate existing health conditions and put you at greater risk of other serious problems.

Memory Loss

When you sleep, this gives your brain a chance to organize the thoughts and memories you have inside your head. However, sleep apnea disrupts this process in a big way.

As you lose sleep and have your sleep interrupted multiple times throughout the night, your brain becomes less adept at being able to consolidate your memories. When this happens, your thinking is not as sharp as usual when you are awake, and you may find yourself suffering from varying degrees of memory loss.

More Bad Cholesterol

Sleep apnea can also play havoc with your cholesterol levels. In fact, studies have shown that if you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, you are at greater risk of having higher levels of LDL cholesterol, which is commonly known as “bad” cholesterol. You are at greater risk of heart disease when this occurs.

High Blood Sugar Levels

If you are not already a diabetic, suffering from obstructive sleep apnea will make this a much greater possibility in the future. Not only does sleep apnea make it much more difficult to manage an existing diabetic condition, but it also puts you at much greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, especially if you are obese or have other risk factors associated with Type 2 diabetes.

High levels of LDL cholesterol and high blood sugar puts you at great risk of developing heart problems. It can also increase your chances of developing glaucoma or other vision-related problems associated with diabetes.

Should you believe your sleep apnea is worsening your diabetes or developing Type 2 diabetes, type in “sleep apnea doctors near me” on google or any online search engine and schedule a consultation as soon as possible.

Cardiovascular Problems

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of obstructive sleep apnea is its ability to significantly increase the likelihood of suffering from an array of life-threatening cardiovascular problems during your lifetime.

Sleep apnea will increase your chances of having a stroke, experiencing heart failure, and developing an irregular heart rhythm, a condition known as atrial fibrillation, more commonly referred to as A-Fib. Should your sleep apnea go uncorrected, it is almost a certainty you will be experiencing one or more cardiovascular events at some point, any of which can shorten your lifespan or lead to immediate death.

Liver Problems

Obstructive sleep apnea can also negatively impact your liver. A part of this condition that usually fails to be talked about very much, sleep apnea has been shown to give you liver enzyme levels that are far above normal.

When this occurs, you are at greater risk of developing fatty liver disease. Ultimately, this could find you experiencing liver failure, putting you in need of a life-saving liver transplant.

Weakened Immune System

As your body becomes gradually more fatigued, your immune system gets weaker and weaker. As this happens, you may be dealing with more bouts of the common cold or the flu. Should your immune system get even weaker, this can put you at greater risk of developing serious infections or even more susceptible to various types of cancer.

Headaches and Irritability

Finally, sleep apnea will leave you feeling irritable almost all the time since you are losing so much sleep each night. You will also have many more headaches during the day, increasing your irritability and creating a vicious circle that will be hard to break.

Rather than put your health at risk, find out if you do indeed suffer from sleep apnea. Should this be the case, work closely with your doctor and other healthcare professionals to take advantage of the numerous state-of-the-art treatments available today for your condition.

It is crucial to address sleep apnea promptly to mitigate these emerging risks. Seeking immediate medical attention at an Elmhurst walk-in clinic during an emergency can provide essential evaluation and treatment options to manage sleep apnea and safeguard your cardiovascular well-being. Don’t underestimate the importance of addressing sleep apnea promptly to minimize the potentially life-threatening consequences associated with this sleep disorder.

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