30 August 2021

Sleep Apnea & Risks

Sleep Apnea & Risks

What is sleep apnea? What are the dangers of leaving sleep apnea untreated?

Sleep Apnea & Risks

What is sleep apnea? What are the dangers of leaving sleep apnea untreated?

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing throughout the sleep cycle.

These interruptions, called apneas, are caused by the collapse of soft tissue in the airway (or throat), which prevents oxygen from reaching the lungs.

Weak muscles in the airway, a large tongue, obesity, and other factors may cause airway tissue to collapse and obstruct breathing, basically causing people to stop breathing.

Sleep apnea disrupts the sleep cycle and can dramatically impact energy, mental performance, and long term health. In some cases, if left untreated, sleep apnea can be fatal.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea affects 8-15% of adults in Canada, though the majority of sufferers go undiagnosed. Potentially dangerous symptoms, such as loud snoring, are often overlooked.

Untreated sleep apnea is associated with a number of health risks. To understand your sleep issues and examine possible sleep solutions, we recommend you consult your local Snore MD clinic if you experience these signs and symptoms.

Take Our Online Sleep Quiz

Find out if you are likely to have sleep apnea, it takes less than a minute.

Start Sleep Quiz

What are the risks?

Untreated sleep apnea is associated with a number of health risks highlighted below.
LOUD SNORING
HIGHER RISK OF HEART ATTACK
WEIGHT GAIN
ACID REFLUX (GERD)
DIABETES TYPE II
RESTLESS SLEEP
FREQUENT URINATION
REDUCED LIBIDO
WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM
CARDIOVASCULAR STRESS
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
POOR SLEEP/IMPAIRED DAYTIME FUNCTION

What are the risks?

Untreated sleep apnea is associated with a number of health risks highlighted below.
LOUD SNORING. Snoring is caused by various factors such as age, smoking, alcohol consumption, body weight, allergies, and medications. Snoring may also indicate a more severe condition known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which, left untreated, can be life-threatening. Obstructions occur when the muscles and tissue in the back of our throats relax enough to block our airways, therefore causing us to be deprived of the much-needed oxygen our bodies require to function. The obstruction of your airway in turn initiates the snoring as we try to force the air down our airway. This subsequently results in the vibration of the airway known as snoring.

Contact your local Snore MD clinic to discuss any questions or concerns.