How Sleep Apnea Affects other Medical Conditions

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder, that is defined by on average 10 failed air intakes per hour during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is ba far the most common form of sleep apnea. It occurs, when the muscles in the throat relax during night. The softer tissue in the airway and other factors like al lorge tongue, the soft pelate or excess fat in the neck loosen up and press on the airway so that it is obstructed.

Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) only occurs in 4% of all patients with sleep apnea. It is caused by the brain failing to give sufficient signal to breath.

Sleep Apnea is considered a serious medical condition which needs to be treated as soon as possible. The reason for this are the very common complications caused by sleep apnea:

Cardiovascular conditions
When the blood oxygen level suddenly drops during sleep apnea the blood pressure increases (trying to offset the drop).That can be an enormous strain on the cardiovascular system. Hypertension is the condition of increased blood pressure that increases two or three times by OSA. With the severity of sleep apnea the risk of hypertension increases. With or without high blood pressure, sleep apnea significantly increases the exposure to strokes.

With a condition of heart disease, the frequent oxygen undersupply in the blood (hypoxia or hypoxemia) might lead to a cardiac event and sudden death. In several studies links between sleep apnea and an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure and other vascular diseases. Obstructive sleep apnea is often the cause or contributing cause for heart diseases.

Central sleep apnea in contrast, more often is the result of an existing heart disease.

Sleep Deprivation and Daytime Fatigue.
Repeated awakenings caused by sleep apnea and a shallower sleep in general prevent a restful sleep. It is no surprise that this leads to extensive daytime drowsiness and lack of concentration. It also leeds to moodiness and irritability due to this overall fatigue.

Especially when driving a car or concentrating on (school-)work, fatigue can add additional risk and lead to worse performance and frustration.People with sleep apnea may also complain of memory problems, morning headaches, mood swings or feelings of depression.

Problems with certain medication and surgery.
Patients with sleep apnea can be more likely to have complications after surgery because they are likely to have breathing problems when sedated and lying on the back. Additionally the difficulties of sleeping with sleeping aids might slow down recovery after surgery. In case sleep apnea is not diagnosed yet, it imposes a large risk of complications after surgery. If diagnosed, sleep apnea needs to be discussed with the doctor before surgery.

Partners do not get enough sleep.
It is a common experience for everyone who snores. Those who sleep in the same room with you will likely be disturbed by the noise and have trouble sleeping. In the end partners might not be able to share a room anymore which might disrupt the relationship.

Nocturia.
The decreasing oxygen level and rising carbon dioxide level the blood gets more acidic inducing a drop in the heart rate and contraction of blood vessels. The body signals it’s problem to the brain and the patient wakes up. Now the heart rate is very fast and it reports excess fluid. The signal is carried by a protein, that tells the body to discard excess sodium and water.

Impotence/Sexual Dysfunction (ED).
A strong link between sleep apnea and ED has been shown in recent studies. In the past this was often ascribed to the undersupply with oxygen and damage of the cardiovascular system.

Nowadays studies show, that the erections that naturally occur during REM sleep have an essential role in maintaining the erectile function Sleep apnea will often shorten or even prevent the REM stages.

However, ED and obesity are also statiscally linked, so that sleep apnea does not necessarily have to be the linking symptom.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
A recent study has shown a strong link between sleep apnea and acid reflux. Almost 50% of the patients with sleep apnea experienced GERD. With these symptoms being especially worse at night doctors suggested that the back of up of stomach acid in GERD may produce spasms in the vocal cords (larynx), blocking the flow of air to the lungs and causing apnea. So far, no clear proof of sleep apnea being treated via a cure of acid reflux could be found.

Also an apnea can cause a pressure change in the throat that again can lead to GERD.Just like ED, GERD is often found in connection with obesity which again often causes sleep apnea. Finding a proof for a direct link is therefore quite hard.

I am working on the topic of sleep apnea for a while now and focus on alternative cures that do not make use of CPAP or surgery. If you are looking for an entry point to sleep apnea check out my page on Alternative Cures For Sleep Apnea.