Complications Associated With Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a very common sleeping that can lead to serious complications if left unchecked. When an individual is affected by this condition, their breathing will stop and start regularly throughout the night, which can make it difficult for them to get the rest they need. There are several different types of sleep apnea, including obstructive sleep apnea, complex sleep apnea syndrome, and central sleep apnea. The most common of these types is obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when the throat muscles relax too much and cause an obstruction to occur within the airways. The symptoms of these types of sleep apnea can overlap with one another, which means a diagnosis can be difficult. The main symptoms patients will likely experience include loud snoring, gasping for breath while sleeping, headaches in the morning, general irritability, and issues with staying asleep. Some risk factors that could contribute to the development of sleep apnea include having a narrowed airway, being excessively overweight, being older, and smoking.

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Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a disorder comprised of a cluster of health conditions that occur alongside one another. When an individual suffers from metabolic syndrome, they will likely be affected by such health conditions as high blood sugar, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, and increased weight. The presence of this condition because of sleep apnea puts patients at a higher risk of more severe complications like a stroke, diabetes, and heart disease. If individuals find they're experiencing only one of these issues like high blood pressure, they likely don't have metabolic syndrome. If they've been diagnosed with this disorder, it's possible to prevent any severe health problems by making substantial lifestyle changes. It's also important to have their sleep apnea treated so this disorder can be cured. Some of the lifestyle changes patients should look into include getting thirty minutes of exercise nearly every day, filling their diet with healthy foods, staying away from smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting the amount of salt and saturated fat in their diet.

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