How Long Can Sleep Apnea Go Untreated Part One
Posted on | January 4, 2010 | No Comments
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes patients to stop breathing during the night. This causes individuals to experience broken sleep and to regularly wake throughout the night, though usually they are not conscious of this fact and simply find themselves feeling tired throughout the day.
As patients don’t necessarily recognise their condition it means that they can think of it as more of a nuisance than a serious problem. To what extent this is the case however will depend on the severity of the apnea and on the individual suffering. In some instances it certainly is a cause for alarm, and in all cases patients should see a doctor.
Firstly, extreme tiredness in itself can be a serious problem and can lead to other complications. For example lack of sleep can place stress on the immune system which leaves the sufferer vulnerable to viruses and infections and at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Lack of sleep also has serious effects on the brain and cognitive function. Without adequate sleep an individual will suffer memory loss and difficulty with their attention and may also experience poor judgement when making decisions etc.
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