Blog

Sleep Apnea Side-Effects: How Dangerous are They?

June is associated with Father’s Day, which is why it’s no surprise that it’s also designated as Men’s Health Month. With that in mind, we’d like to focus on one health condition that affects men more than women—sleep apnea.

There are several different types of sleep apnea, but they have similar outcomes—the airway becomes blocked periodically, leading you to wake up briefly to breathe. It’s also associated with loud snoring.

While the snoring can certainly be a nuisance to the bed partner, there are other side-effects of sleep apnea that can be downright dangerous. Some of them include:

Heart Complications

Untreated sleep apnea has been proven to cause hypertension or high blood pressure, and aggravate an existing heart condition caused by lower oxygen intake while sleeping, leading to unexpected death.

Surgery Complications

Having a major surgery soon? General anesthesia becomes more dangerous for people with obstructed sleep apnea as your condition could worsen from being sedated and lying on your back.

Brain Damage

One of the most common symptoms of untreated sleep apnea is memory loss and the inability to focus. What many don’t realize is that both symptoms are a sign of brain damage, which may or may not be repaired by finally treating sleep apnea.

Higher Risk of Accident

Those with untreated sleep apnea are often much more drowsy during the daytime, causing them to be at higher risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

Fortunately, sleep apnea is fairly easy to treat and all of these scary health dangers can be avoided. If you or your loved one shows signs of sleep apnea, seek treatment immediately. If you’re already diagnosed with sleep apnea, see the experts at CarePro Home Medical! We can make sure you’re fitted with the correct equipment and have everything you need to stay CPAP compliant.