Is Sleep Apnea Dangerous?

Some 22 million people in the United States live with sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that causes your breathing to stop and start repeatedly while you’re asleep. While symptoms are often relatively mild, they can also become quite serious, bringing dangerous risks to your health.

Our qualified team of experts at Arundel Medical Group, Inc. in Glen Burnie, Maryland, provides general medicine care and treatments to help you lose excess weight so you can prevent or minimize the effects of sleep apnea. Read on to learn more about this disorder, including potential complications and ways we can help.

Types of sleep apnea

All types of sleep apnea interfere with breathing, but they do so for different reasons. The main types of sleep apnea include:

• Central sleep apnea: happens when your brain doesn’t properly signal your muscles to control your breathing
• Obstructive sleep apnea: your airway becomes blocked when your throat muscles relax
• Complex sleep apnea: involves both central and obstructive types

Of the three types, obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. 

Sleep apnea symptoms and complications

Because all forms of sleep apnea interfere with restful sleep, it causes problems with daytime energy, emotional well-being, and appetite. 

Without sufficient sleep, you’re likely to feel drained and moody. And since you’ll lack the energy and restoration that comes from restful snooze, your body may crave more food in an attempt to get fuel from somewhere.

Additional symptoms of sleep apnea include: can we add,  hypertension, atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat that can lead to stroke of untreated), weight gain,  also some people get into auto accidents because they are so tired

• Difficulty concentrating
• Dry mouth upon waking
• Loud snoring
• Gasping for air during sleep
• Morning headaches
• Reports of sleep interruptions by a partner

Over time, the severity and effects of sleep apnea can increase. That’s when it becomes especially dangerous. Research has linked sleep apnea with type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and a shortened lifespan.

Weight loss and sleep apnea

If you’re moderately obese, losing 10-15% of your weight can reduce the intensity of obstructive sleep apnea by 50%. That is because excess weight can create fat deposits in your neck that contribute to or cause airway blockage. Also, without control of the sleep apnea, it may be hard to lose weight. 

Losing those added pounds can be difficult if you attempt to go it alone. That’s one reason we’re so pleased to offer customized weight loss plans at Arundel Medical Group, Inc. 

Your plan will include dietary and exercise recommendations, and our team will be there to guide and support you along the way. For good candidates, we also offer phentermine, a weight loss medication that’s been used for decades. And determining whether a medical condition, such as sleep apnea, is contributing to your weight problem is part of our process.

To learn more about sleep apnea or to get the care you need, call our office or request an appointment on our website.