Sleeping is an important part of a healthy lifestyle but here’s the rub: you might THINK you’re out light a light, drifting off into dreamland, but really, you’re nowhere close to it. Sleep apnea health issues stem from a disorder that causes so much more than just sleepy days – there could be a serious impact on your health, and the American Sleep Apnea Association believes that more than 22 million adults in America suffer from Sleep Apnea right now. While that might sound like a huge number, also consider that more than 80 million are undiagnosed, meaning they have no idea that they are affected.

Could you be one of them? If you’re here, reading this, there is a good chance you suspect that you ARE one of them. If you’ve read our other blogs then you already have some idea how you would go about fixing it, but honestly, it all comes down to the type of sleep apnea that you have, whether it’s obstructive, central, or mixed. Generally, you’re dealing with a disorder that causes your airway to collapse while you are sleeping, making it so that your brain does not get enough oxygen and you find yourself waking up every few hours or worse, every few minutes depending on the severity of the situation. The bottom line is that you will spend the night drifting in and out of the various stages of sleep, putting your body through a really nasty roller coaster ride that it should never have had to experience in the first place.

Shades of Sleep – A Consequence of Sleep Apnea Health Issues

If you are suffering from sleep apnea, then your sleep is anything but restful, no matter what you feel like in the morning. Honestly, you ‘re probably going to be under the impression that you slept perfectly fine other than the potential headaches and the exhaustion the next morning (both of these are signs that you should see your doctor immediately). Most often, people who suffer from sleep apnea snore, but not everyone who snores has sleep apnea – that is something that can be difficult to understand and accept, especially if one is looking for an answer to their snoring issue.

So what about the different levels of sleep? What do they mean? How does sleep apnea actually affect them? The first thing that you need to know is that most adults sleep with what is known as NREM sleep, of which there are three stages:

Stage 1: This stage is defined via the low-voltage mixed frequency pattern, and it doesn’t last very long. It does begin a few seconds after the person begins to fall asleep, and slow eye movements start at this point.

Stage 2: The second stage lasts for to 0 to 25 minutes and is signified by high-voltage, slow wave activity.

Stage 3: Once the individual hits stage 3 they are very difficult to awaken, and the period lasts from 20 to 40 minutes. The person becomes less responsive to external stimuli, and this is the point that we most often associate with ‘deep’ sleep.

The sleep apnea health issues really start when an individual is unable to reach stage 3, or they are continually forced into an earlier stage. The point here is, that you don’t have to wake up to be roused out of sleep. With three different levels to choose from, you can see how it would get messy. The health issues associated with sleep apnea can become very irritating and very painful, quite quickly, making it absolutely necessary for the patient to take action. Some of the most common health issues include:

• Obesity
• Hypertension
• Cancer
• Heart Disease
• Stroke

Also bear in mind that while biological conditions are a significant possibility, there are also dangers of work related injury, or injury in everyday life, such as automobile accidents. Sleep apnea is a serious condition that can be addressed with sleep apnea study equipment, and home studies can be performed to determine the severity or course of treatment. While the course of treatment can differ for every single person, one this is certain: it’s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately.