People who suffer from chronic health problems sometimes suffer more than necessary because they postpone seeking medical attention. Sometimes, they are suffering but decide to wait until they can identify the cause themselves. This could describe many who deal with sleep apnea. Estimates place undiagnosed sleep apnea sufferers at 18 million in the United States alone. Could you be one of them?

Quality and Quantity of Sleep Both Matter

Even though you may sleep long hours, that doesn’t translate into high sleep quality. When sleep is subjected to frequent interruptions, the cumulative effect can rob you of the most restful part of the sleep cycle. This is because it can take close to an hour to return to that part of the sleep cycle after each interruption. Each subsequent interruption before reaching deep sleep can delay the cycle further. Those who experience many interruptions during the night can find themselves with no restful sleep hours at all.

  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Labored breathing
  • Grinding teeth
  • Obesity

  • Daytime drowsiness
  • Dry mouth in the morning
  • Clenching jaws
  • Irritability

  • High blood pressure
  • Snoring
  • Headaches in the morning
  • Depression
  • And more…

Sometimes, people do nothing about their symptoms until they realize how much their quality of life, and even their health, is suffering.

Effects of Untreated Sleep Apnea

Without treatment, long-term effects of sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, depression, memory problems, weight gain, headaches, impotence, accidents caused by drowsiness, and more.

In fact, a 2013 Mayo Clinic study found that if you have sleep apnea, the risk of sudden death by cardiac arrest increased to almost twice as much as non-sufferers. The most common factors associated with the risk were being 60 years old or older, having 20 or more apnea episodes every hour during sleep, and experiencing 78% or below oxygen saturation during sleep.

Could You or a Loved One Have Sleep Apnea?

If you or a family member suffers from poor sleep quality and display any of the symptoms listed above, you could be suffering from sleep apnea. There are treatments available that could greatly improve the quality of your sleep and improve the quality of your life. Please call today to schedule an evaluation and allow us to answer all of your questions. We serve Granger, Middlebury, Warsaw, and Plymouth, Indiana, and the surrounding area.