Common Health Effects Of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea refers to a critical, potentially life-threatening sleeping disorder that is far common than typically thought. Early diagnosis and understanding of sleep apnea is essential, since the health effects of sleep apnea can be severe. It may lead to the development of irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke. In this article, we will discuss the short term and long term health effects of sleep apnea.
Short Term Effects
Sleep apnea can be associated with choking sensations. The recurrent disruptions of deep, recuperative sleep often cause short term health effects of sleep apnea like early morning headaches and an extreme daytime drowsiness. The involuntary and functional complications in the airways may lead to disruptions, known as apneic events, in breathing pattern at the time of sleeping.
For some individuals, apnea occurs as a result of partial blocking of the airway when the throat muscles and tongue loosen up during sleep. Sleep apnea may also occur in obese individuals when their fat presses their airway muscles together. Since the individual tries his best to breathe, it makes the sound of snoring, which is one of the most common short term health effects of sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea can occur to any one, irrespective of age, gender, race or cultural differences. Most commonly, few short term health effects of sleep apnea are observed among people with sleep apnea. These may include loud snoring, being overweight, and high blood pressure, structural abnormality in nose, mouth or throat.
Long Term Effects
Since individuals with sleep apnea experience an extreme disturbance in their sleep at night, they feel excessively sleepy throughout the day. The inadequate sleep causes the poor sufferer increasing stress levels, emotional disturbances, mood disorders and many more problems.
The long term health effects of sleep apnea may not be limited to these annoyances; rather it could be disabling and eventually fatal. These long term effects range from depression, irritability, sexual dysfunction, learning and memory impairment, feeling drowsy all the time, it may lead to even more serious health issues like heart attack or high blood pressure.
Although, scientists have not yet confirmed the validity and reliability concerning the causal relationship between sleep apnea and high blood pressure, research findings suggest there is a strong correlation between these two. They also affirmed that the risk for heart attack and stroke are also heightened if sleep apnea is left untreated. This condition does not get better on its own. You must see a doctor and get treated.
