I need to know about sleep apnea?

Question

does sleep apnea cause strokes or heartattacks in time if not taken care of??

Answer 1

Sleep apnea does not directly cause strokes or heart attacks, but it creates a lack of oxygen to your vital organs over a long period of time. This can create buildup in your arteries, leading to strokes and heart attacks.

However, there are many more complications to untreated sleep apnea, more correctly termed obsctructive sleep apnea (OSA) if related to a restriction in the upper airway. GERD, ED, depression, and many other side effects have been linked to this disorder.

A sleep study is the first action to take when this is suspected, so that the magnitude of the OSA can be determined. A CPAP is the gold standard, although many people either can't or choose not to wear one after it has been prescribed. Alternately, if the OSA is mild to moderate, a dental appliance can be used that opens the airway.

If you would like to expand the reasons for your question, feel fee to ask.

Answer 2

Sleep apnea is more common that you think and can be very serious. There are two types of apnea. The first is a blockage of your airway which can come about by weight gain. This is common with Pro football players. The other is when your brain stops sending messages to the airway to stay open. This will cause you to stop breathing during sleep. Apnea causes high blood pressure, depression, impotence, and other assorted maladies. Ask a friend to sit with you while you sleep to see if you stop breathing and awake gasping for breath. Other symptoms are waking during the night, constant fatigue, snoring, and trouble staying awake while driving. There are sleep studies that can diagnose this although it takes a night in a clinic or hospital. If you have a blockage a doctor may recommend surgery to remove the blockage. This may include taking out your tonsils, snipping off part of your uvula, and slicing off part of your large palet (back of your tongue). This is painful and only fifty percent effective. Chances are you may need a breathing unit that provides a flow of air that helps you breath during the night. Sleep apnea is a life changer and needs to be taken care one way or another. Imagine not ever getting a good nights sleep. If you think you have this go to your doctor and discuss options.

Answer 3

Sleep apnea, if left untreated can lead to heart attacks. The body becomes deprived of oxygen while you are asleep which is very dangerous.
Also, people who suffer from sleep apnea to tend to suffer from fatigue, have a lower functioning immune system, and have a slower metabolism which leads to weight gain.

When I was diagnosed with it, it was because my tonsils were so big that they were blocking the airway when I slept. I had a tonsillectomy done in 2004 and I found that it was alot better. I also use a CPAP- and believe me, when you have sleep apnea and you use the CPAP just one night, you find an amazing difference in the quality of sleep you get. You wake up feeling refreshed and energetic. They do cost alot of money though, but worth it.

Good Luck to you.

Answer 4

some of the answers are reasonable. sleep apnea has two basic flavros; one is neurological, the other is not. neurological can cause serious problems especially if you have what is called narcolepsy. this is a condition where one just falls asleep. for instance you are talking to someone and you fall asleep, or consider you are driving a truck and for no apparent reason you fall asleep. the neuro type of sleep apnea is much less common then the type you are hearing about in the media and television, etc. which is referred to as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

more common, but even at that is not common. it is not a factor in causing heart attacks or strokes unless the OSA itself becomes rather debilitating. all sleep apneas can be tested and have qualifying diagnostic criteria.

usual complaints to a doctor can be nebulus, like, i am always feeling fatiqued, or irritable. i often wake up at night, 2,3, 4 or more times for no apparent reason. i snore. my sleep is restless. and so forth.

during sleep oxygen levels drop some, but so does the overall body metabolic rate. REM sleep occurs sometime during the sleep. all normal. during abnormal episodes it is thought that the airway blocks off causing lower oxygen levels to occur, and an actual cessation of breathing (apnea). this triggers the body into survival and wakes you up. multiply this occurring many times during the night and you are continually not getting "rest". so during the day you are fatigued, irritable, sleepy, moody, etc.

the treatment centers around surgery of soft tissue which obstructs airways, and/or wearing of mechanical devices like CPAP/BiPAP machines which work but are cumbersome to a degree. many sleep labs are opening up around the country to deal with the growing numbers of sleep disorders. the test is painless, simple, and usually conclusive.

anyway that is much of the meat and potatoes of sleep apnea with many a detail left out. consult your doctor, try to get a diagnostic test scheduled first.

Answer 5

I don't know, but I found that my sleep apnea was caused from a bad thyroid.

Answer 6

No I dont think so. Consult the book Davidson's Practice and Principle of Medicine for details.

Answer 7

go to www.sleepapnea.org or www.stanford.edu/~dement/apnea.html for more info. google it too if needed. cheers!

Answer 8

no,
but you can die in your sleep if you don't get a respiratory machine.