Are Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease Related?
Sleep apnea is a difficult condition that causes many issues, including daytime drowsiness, loud snoring, and weight gain. But did you know that sleep apnea also causes heart disease and other cardiovascular issues? If you suffer from untreated sleep apnea, you are much more likely to suffer from a cardiovascular condition, which makes sleep apnea treatment so important. Keep reading to learn more about sleep apnea, how to lower your risk of cardiovascular issues, and where to get sleep apnea treatment in Wisconsin.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common condition in which your breathing stops and restarts many times while you sleep. There are two types of sleep apnea.
- Obstructive sleep apnea: This occurs when your upper airway becomes blocked many times while you sleep, reducing or completely stopping airflow. This is the most common type of sleep apnea. Anything that could narrow your airway, such as obesity, large tonsils, or changes in your hormone levels, can increase your risk for obstructive sleep apnea.
- Central sleep apnea: This occurs when your brain does not send the signals needed to breathe. Health conditions that affect how your brain controls your airway and chest muscles can cause central sleep apnea.
How Does Sleep Apnea Cause Heart Disease?
Sleep apnea increases the risk of CVD and can lead to worse outcomes from cardiovascular disease. Obstructive sleep apnea, in particular, has been linked to higher rates of high blood pressure, stroke, and coronary artery disease. There’s also evidence that sleep apnea can cause left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, which increases the risk of heart failure.
This occurs because the body is not receiving the right amount of oxygen to function properly. Not enough quality oxygen is being delivered to the heart or bloodstream, and it causes the heart to work overtime, leading to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular issues.
Get Sleep Apnea Help with Advanced Sleep and TMJ Solutions
Are you suffering from untreated sleep apnea? You are putting yourself at a very high risk of heart disease. Luckily, with sleep apnea treatment in Wisconsin, you can lower your risk dramatically.
Dr. Krissy Connor received her BSN in 2001 at the Marquette University School of Nursing. She was an emergency room nurse at Aurora Sinai Medical Center for three years before attending the Marquette University School of Dentistry to receive her DDS degree in 2008. She completed a post-graduate residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry at the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI. She has been collaborating with physicians to treat patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea using oral appliance therapy since 2014.
Dr. Connor has been improving patients’ lives as the owner of Hypnos Inc. in Brookfield, WI. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and the American Sleep and Breathing Academy.
Learn more at advancedsleepandtmjsolutions.com!
