Snoring and sleep apnea are no big deal, right? Wrong. Ignoring sleep apnea or snoring can lead to the worsening of symptoms. Make treatment a top priority in order to prevent further complications. Let’s take a look at three negative effects that sleep apnea can have on your oral and overall health when treatment is ignored.

The leading complication of untreated sleep apnea is stroke. When the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or severely reduced, your brain tissue is deprived of oxygen and nutrients. Within just a few minutes, brain cells begin to die. Through the damage and stress to your blood vessels, it is believed that this is caused by blood pressure and oxygen changes from sleep apnea, which increases your risk of stroke.

Rates of diabetes are higher among people with sleep apnea. This is because diabetes and sleep apnea share common risk factors, including obesity and advancing age. More than half of people that are obese are considered to be at a high risk for developing sleep apnea, while further studies also suggest having sleep apnea increases the risk of developing diabetes. It appears to be quite the dilemma.

Depression should never be ignored, and it doesn’t always go away with time. The relationship between sleep and depression is complex, but it is clear. It has been shown that depression may cause sleep problems and sleep problems may cause or contribute to depression. For some people, depression symptoms occur before the onset of sleep complications, but for others sleep problems appear first. Either way, sleep problems are associated with more severe depression.

Contact us today to learn more about the negative effects of untreated sleep apnea. We can also provide you with available treatment options to not only help you get a better night’s sleep, but to improve your overall health as well.