• High blood pressure
• Heart attacks
• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Abnormal heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation

In fact, sleep apnea is one of the most common underlying conditions seen in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients who undergo treatment for AFib often experience better outcomes when their sleep apnea is identified and treated as well.

Sleep apnea can also worsen coronary artery disease and increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. The combination of low oxygen levels, inflammation, and elevated blood pressure creates a perfect storm for cardiovascular disease.

Common symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Loud snoring
• Witnessed pauses in breathing
• Gasping during sleep
• Excessive daytime fatigue
• Morning headaches
• Poor concentration
• Memory problems
• Difficulty controlling blood pressure

However, some people may have very few symptoms and remain unaware that they have the condition.

The good news is that sleep apnea is highly treatable.

Weight loss can be extremely effective for some individuals. Other treatment options include:

• CPAP therapy
• Oral appliances
• Positional therapy
• Surgical procedures in select cases

Newer weight loss medications may also help reduce the severity of sleep apnea in some patients.

If you snore heavily, feel excessively tired during the day, or have heart disease, consider discussing sleep apnea with your physician. A simple sleep study can often provide answers.

As heart surgeons and cardiologists, we spend a great deal of time treating the consequences of cardiovascular disease. Sometimes one of the most important things we can do is identify and treat an underlying cause.

Sleep apnea may occur while you’re sleeping, but its effects can follow you throughout the day and throughout your life.

I’m Dr. Raymond Singer.

I hope this was helpful, and I’ll see you next time.

Interested in my book? You can buy it on Amazon!

(𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.)