Long Term Sleep Apnea Effects

Long Term Sleep Apnea Effects

Long term sleep apnea effects and how you can eliminate them and possibly save your life. Sleep apnea is a term used to describe a condition where a person stops breathing, for seconds at a time, during sleep. Data available reveals that up to 12 million Americans may be suffering from this condition. Sleep apnea should be treated like a serious health condition because when the condition is allowed to escalate, it can end up threatening a person’s life. Initially, the effects of this condition may not cause any serious health risks. However, there are certain long term sleep apnea effects which are worth noting.

Research into sleep apnea has revealed the following conditions that may last for quite some time if the apnea effects are not treated.

1: One of the most common long term apnea side effects is arrhythmia.

2: Another long term effect is heart failure and stroke.

3: There is also evidence that this condition can lead to reduced hormone production and growth.

4: One of the most dangerous effects is poor performance. Poor performance at work and impotence has been linked to sleep apnea effects.

5: Apnea has also been cited in cases of motor accidents and workplace accidents.

6: Hypertension and heart disease are also long term effects.

7: When all the above risks are not treated, death can occur.

You can prevent your condition from reaching life-threatening levels by getting treatment. There are many treatment forms available depending on the severity of your condition. One of the preferred treatment methods is use of a CPAP machine. However, research shows that up to 50% of sufferers stop using CPAP – because they simply can’t tolerate its use. The secret in minimizing apnea effects may lie in change of life style. Change of life style – for instance, quitting smoking and dieting – may also help alleviate the problem.

If the above methods don’t work, you can try surgery. There are several surgery options you can choose from, with the most common ones being nasal surgery and throat surgery. There are also alternative methods of minimizing sleep apnea effects, including use of natural methods like acupuncture.