If You Haven’t Got Your Health . . .

Sleep is critical to every aspect of your body’s health, including mental health, cardiovascular health, and metabolic health. Disrupting your body’s normal sleep routine disrupts all your body’s systems, which is why sleep apnea is associated with dozens of serious health problems. Among these are:

  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • High blood pressure
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity, including unexplained weight gain and inability to lose weight
  • Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease
  • Memory problems
  • Cancer
  • Depression and other mood disorders
  • Sexual dysfunction

These health conditions are dangerous, even deadly. That’s why people with sleep apnea have a 46% higher risk of premature death. Most often, cardiovascular conditions are the cause of death. However, other causes of early death include cancer, suicide, and car accidents related to falling asleep while driving.

In addition to the risk of early death, people with untreated sleep apnea spend thousands of dollars more each year on healthcare and spend many more hours at the doctor.

Maintain the Relationships That Matter to You

As bad as the health effects are, what often makes people look for sleep apnea treatment is the way the condition can damage, even destroy the important relationships in their lives.

Sleep apnea can cause conflict in intimate relationships, driving a wedge between spouses. Loud snoring is commonly associated with sleep apnea, and it’s one of the most common causes of conflict between spouses. Sleep apnea also makes conflicts over any subject escalate, because people’s empathy and patience suffer when they’re not getting enough sleep. Mood disorders, sexual dysfunction, and a lack of interest can also increase conflict between spouses.

But our relationship with our kids can also suffer. We have little enough time to spend with our children–they grow up so fast!–but it’s hard to make the most of this time when our energy and interest is being sapped by sleep apnea. And we are more likely to snap at our kids when we’re low on sleep.

Sleep apnea can even impair work relationships. Sleep apnea can make you less productive at work, and more likely to doze off in the middle of a boring afternoon. It can also decrease your patience in dealing with all the annoyances we all have to deal with at the workplace.

How Do I Know If I Have Sleep Apnea?

With all the potential damage sleep apnea could be doing, it’s also scary that 80% or more of people with sleep apnea don’t know they have it.

There is only one way to diagnose sleep apnea: a sleep test. Would you like to learn whether you have sleep apnea in Omaha? Please click here to learn more or call (402) 493-4175 today for an appointment with a sleep dentist at the Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center.