Did you know that roughly 50,000 cardiovascular-related deaths in the US each year are directly attributed to sleep apnea? While snoring and feeling tired all the time are the main symptoms of this condition, what doesn’t get as much attention is how it negatively affects the heart and cardiovascular system. If you have untreated sleep apnea in North Providence, ignoring it won’t just leave you exhausted, but it might prevent you from waking up altogether.
What Are the Risks of Untreated Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder where a person stops breathing for short periods several times throughout the night. This disrupts the sleep cycle and prevents someone from reaching the deeper, more restorative stages.
These interruptions cause the body to go into emergency mode, which not only includes gasping, choking, and partially waking up—blood pressure also skyrockets.
Why? Because no oxygen is coming in, the body does everything it can to move the limited amount of oxygenated blood throughout the various organs and tissues. It does this by raising the heart rate and constricting blood vessels.
The result is extremely high blood pressure, i.e. hypertension. This spike can last for several hours, even after a person has woken up and is breathing normally!
Consistently elevated blood pressure is one of the leading risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Research throughout the decades has shown that people with untreated sleep apnea are about 3 times more likely to suffer from a cardiac event than the average population.
Does Your Heart Stop if You Have Sleep Apnea?
This is a common misconception—many people believe because breathing is temporarily stopped due to sleep apnea, the heart must skip a beat as well. The truth is that while apnea episodes can alter the rhythm of the heart, it doesn’t completely pause. As noted above, the strain on the heart is still extremely serious!
How Sleep Apnea Treatment Can Safeguard Heart Health
Thankfully, research has also shown that the cardiovascular risks associated with sleep apnea can be dramatically reduced by having it treated. Enabling someone to sleep peacefully and breathe without issue prevents the chain reaction that increases blood pressure.
Some options are laser treatment, CPAP therapy, and oral appliance treatment, and more and more patients are opting for laser treatment that gently tightens the tissue in the mouth and throat to open the airway. This more conservative approach can often remove the source of the problem for those dealing with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), greatly reducing symptoms.
So while you might be OK feeling tired all the time, you certainly don’t want to contend with a heart attack or stroke. Reaching out to a professional will not only let you enjoy a peaceful night’s rest but will ensure you’re able to do so for many years to come.
About the Author
At Bio Dental, Drs. Candida Castillo and Keisi Ikonomi are proud to provide holistic dental services to the North Providence community. Our practice offers a range of treatments, including laser-based therapy for sleep apnea/snoring. If you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), snore every night, or are simply concerned about the quality of your nightly rest, our team can perform a screening and advise you on your next steps.
Contact our office today at 401-232-7777 or click here to schedule an appointment.