The #1 question asked by BlueSleep patients…“Is Sleep Apnea Dangerous?” The simple answer is, “Yes”. If left untreated, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which causes snoring and frequent breathing pauses while sleeping, increases carbon dioxide and lowers blood oxygen levels, leading to heart problems or high blood pressure. Furthermore, interrupted sleep causes daytime tiredness which contributes to serious road and workplace accidents.
Studies estimate that 26% of the adult population between the ages of 30 and 70 have sleep apnea, with a shocking 80% of the moderate and severe cases being undiagnosed.
The good news is that effective treatment can help prevent the complications of sleep apnea which include the development of hypertension, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. Compared to CPAP, many find oral appliances easier to use than CPAP. Our studies have confirmed that the compliance rate with oral appliances is very good.
If you think you’re at risk for sleep apnea, schedule an appointment with a BlueSleep Specialist to properly diagnose and treat your sleep apnea.
Here’s some topline clinical research:
Study Shows That People with Sleep Apnea Have a High Risk of Death
You have three times the risk of dying due to any cause compared with people who do not have sleep apnea.
Sleep Disordered Breathing and Mortality: Eighteen-Year Follow-up of the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort
Our findings of a significant, high mortality risk with untreated SDB (Sleep Disorder Brething), independent of age, sex, and BMI underscore the need for heightened clinical recognition and treatment of SDB, indicated by frequent episodes of apnea and hypopnea, irrespective of symptoms of sleepiness.
Sleep Apnea and 20-Year Follow-Up for All-Cause Mortality, Stroke, and Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the Busselton Health Study Cohort
Moderate-to-severe sleep apnea is independently associated with a large increased risk of all-cause mortality, incident stroke, and cancer incidence and mortality in this community-based sample.
Sudden death in individuals with obstructive sleep apnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis
OSA is a significant risk factor for all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality. Prevention and treatment strategies to optimise survival and quality of life in individuals with OSA are urgently needed.
Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease
Sleep disturbances, particularly obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), were identified to affect or covary with numerous health outcomes and physiological processes, particularly cardiovascular disease.
Sudden death in patients with sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Analysis on 42,032 individuals revealed that those with OSA were twice as likely to die from cardiac mortality compared to those without sleep apnea. Likewise, individuals with OSA were 1.7 times as likely to die from all-cause sudden death compared to individuals without sleep apnea. There was a significant dose response relationship between severity of sleep apnea and incidence risk of death.
Exploring the Connection between Cardiovascular Disease and Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a risk factor for stroke due to intermittent hypoxia-mediated elevation of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation, hypercoagulability and impairment of cerebral autoregulation. OSA is highly prevalent in individuals with underlying coronary disease and in those with cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and heart failure. The prevalence of OSA in patients with cardiovascular disease ranges from 30% (hypertension) to 60% (stroke or transient ischemic attack, arrhythmia, end-stage renal disease).
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