Can sleep apnea cause death is a daunting question for those who are suffering from this sleep problem. Probably, you ever hear that it has caused some people die. But, is that true? You will find out the answer in a few moments.
Sleep apnea is a very serious disease. It causes the airway tightening and finally ceases the breath. To make you breathe again, your brain sends signals to wake you up and begins the breathing process again. In a night, this can happen several times.
According to the research, untreated sleep apnea significantly associated with increased risk of death. The death can be caused directly and indirectly from this sleep deprivation.
1. Direct cause:
- Heart failure
People who have both sleep apnea and heart failure must take attention to the possibilities of complication between these two diseases. Heart has function to pump enough blood per minute to supply the entire body's need for oxygen and essential nutrients. Meanwhile in sleep apnea case, the supply of oxygen is reduced. When both of these diseases exist in a person, the failure of meeting necessary oxygen requirements is doubled to a dangerous degree. This condition increases the risk of someone with heart failure dying during sleep.
- Serious damage to major organs
To work properly, our organs need enough oxygen. If your body lacks of oxygen several times in a night and it happens continuously, this will lead to serious damage to major organs. Thus, the risk of dying also increases.
2. Indirect cause:
- Accident
Because your sleep is constantly interrupted, 20 to 30 time every night, no wonder if you feel extremely sleepy during the day. Therefore, the possibility to have a car accident is high. This applies to people who have mild as well as severe sleep apnea.
- Depression
Depression is easily happened to those who have no enough sleep. You can imagine what is going on to people who have depression. Their emotion is unstable and sometimes this can lead to the suicide thinking.
The most commonly used form treatments for sleep apnea is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). The patient will be required to wear nasal mask which will pump air at constant pressure. It also comes with a humidifier to avoid the nasal passage from drying up.
If you have a question like this one: Can sleep apnea cause death while the patient is using CPAP, I will answer yes. Basically, human can die at any point in time. So, no one can guarantee the patient won't die even when wearing CPAP. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure can help you to sleep better and may reduce the risk of death in people with severe sleep apnea.
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