Sleep Apnea is no joke. Getting diagnosed is the first step to living a better life, but then comes time for set on a machine and supplies and you find yourself paying much more than you expected. Despite the cost, you go ahead with getting the machine and tell yourself that you are now on the way to a much healthier lifestyle. Imagine if you choose to not go ahead with the machine –the consequences would have been life altering.

We all know that not getting enough sleep can ruin a perfectly good day, but do we know just how severe it can get? Sure, you’re grouchy and, of course, tired, but there are other side effects to take into consideration.

Not treating sleep apnea can lead to an increase in high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain. Waking up during the middle of the night, or not getting enough sleep puts a strain on the body, and this can lead to an increase of high blood pressure. Due to the lack of oxygen the body is getting, the risk of a heart attack or stoke is higher than say someone effectively using a CPAP machine. Your body is also likely to develop a resistance to insulin due to the lack of oxygen, which can lead you to develop Type 2 diabetes. Not getting enough rest also effects your metabolism – your body becomes confused  due to the lack of sleep. Your body thinks that is always hungry and never full, so you eat and eat, and eat some more. With the weight gain, there is a higher chance of other health issues occurring, not to mention, the increase of snoring because of the fatty buildup around the neck; thus making a CPAP just about necessary.

Something that I just recently learned is that sleep apnea can lead to numerous ocular problems if left untreated. It appears that sleep apnea can lead to one of the five following ocular conditions: floppy eyelid syndrome (the eyelid “flips over” while asleep), glaucoma (fluid build up in the front part of the eyes causing pressure on the optic nerve), retinal vein occlusion (the blockage in a vein that supplies oxygen and blood flow to the retina, and the leading cause of vision lost worldwide), non-arteritis anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (the loss of blood flow in the optic nerve; typically results of vision lost in one eye), and papilledema (also known as optic disc swelling, and is associated with increased blood flow which can lead to random and spontaneous pressure around the brain).

Now this last thing is not exactly health related, but it is a side effect none the less – wrecking havoc on your relationship. Everything is as fresh as a daisy up until you are spending the night with your significant other. Nothing ruins the allusion of a perfect evening like the loud, annoying snores coming from your significant other. Not to mention, the loss of the sleep that may occur to the non-snorer. Loss of sleep means that your body is not getting the amount of rest that it needs, so you will more than likely suffer throughout the day.

Either way, if you are suffering from sleep apnea, there are many things to take into consideration that will help treat your condition and better your life. So, what are you waiting for??

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