Sleep apneamakes you stop breathing in your sleep. This can happen repeatedly throughout the night.
When you stop breathing, your brain tries to wake you up so you’ll start again. Constant sleep interruptions can have a negative effect on your health.
This article looks at what sleep apnea does to your body and how to treat it so you can rest better.
AndreyPopov/ Getty Images
Health Effects
Both breathing pauses and sleep deprivation can have a big impact on your health. Sleep apnea increases your risk of several health problems.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
Being tired can make you fall asleep at bad times, like when you’re driving. It can also impair memory and motor skills. It may put you in a bad mood.
Excessive daytime sleepiness(EDS) may increase your risk of workplace injuries and accidents. Children with sleep apnea often struggle with schoolwork. They’re also likely to have attention and behavior problems.
Strokes and Transient Ischemic Attacks
Untreated sleep apnea increases your risk of astrokeortransient ischemic attack(TIA) or “mini stroke."
In a stroke, blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted. Oxygen and nutrients can’t get through, and brain cells start dying within minutes.
A stroke can kill you. Or it may partially paralyze you. That may leave you having to re-learn basic skills like walking and eating.
In a TIA, blood flow is only blocked for a few minutes. Still, in the early minutes, it’s impossible to tell it apart from a stroke. Also, TIAs often warn that a stroke is coming.
A stroke or TIA is always a medical emergency. The faster you get help, the less brain damage you’ll have.
Symptoms of a stroke come on suddenly. Watch for:
Symptoms of a Stroke
Heart Problems
Sleep apnea can be hard on yourheartand circulatory system.
Sleep apnea is tied to:
Any of these cardiac problems can be fatal.
Ethnicity MattersIn the U.S., sleep apnea is more common in people who are Black, Hispanic, and Native than in those who are White.
Ethnicity Matters
In the U.S., sleep apnea is more common in people who are Black, Hispanic, and Native than in those who are White.
Cancer
Emerging evidence has shown higher overall cancer incidence in people with obstructive sleep apnea. These include:
Some researchers speculate that sleep disruptions might causeoxidative stress, an imbalance on a molecular level that causesfree radicalsin your cells. These unhealthy cells are believed to be tied to many types of illness. The over-stressed cells may contribute to cancer’s development.
Others attribute the increased risk to changes in metabolism, inflammation, and immunity due to sleep apnea.
An older study suggests people with sleep apnea die of cancer at five times the national average.
Sleep and Lung Cancer: What’s the Connection?
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and sleep apnea go together so often there’s even a name for it: COPD-OSA overlap syndrome.
COPD is an umbrella term for obstructive lung diseases, which includeemphysemaandchronic bronchitis. Both COPD and sleep apnea involve lung inflammation.
When you have both conditions together, it further increases your risk of heart problems, hypertension, and stroke.You’re also at risk for:
Type 2 Diabetes
Research suggests people with obesity and sleep apnea are more likely to developdiabetes. And more than half of people with type-2 diabetes have sleep apnea.
Fatty Liver Disease
Sleep apnea is also linked tofatty liver disease. Researchers observed a greater new onset of sleep apnea in patients with fatty liver disease.
In fatty liver disease, fat builds up in your liver, and over time, that can damage your liver and impair its function.
Foods That Fight Fatty Liver Disease
Obesity
Obesityis believed to contribute to sleep apnea and many of its overlapping conditions. That includes type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease.
When someone has obesity, fat deposits narrow the airways. The muscles that keep the airway open normally relax during sleep, which is exaggerated in patients with sleep apnea since they start with a narrower airway from the fat deposits.
Poor sleep may also disrupt appetite hormones. The hormoneghrelinmakes you hungry.Leptin, its counterpart, makes you feel sated after eating.Sleep deprivation, depending on the type and duration, may lead to too much ghrelin and too little leptin.
Being tired can also rob you of your motivation to exercise or be active, which may contribute to weight gain, as well.
Who’s At Risk?You’re at higher risk for sleep apnea if you’re:OverweightMale40 or olderHave a family history of small airways
Who’s At Risk?
You’re at higher risk for sleep apnea if you’re:OverweightMale40 or olderHave a family history of small airways
You’re at higher risk for sleep apnea if you’re:
Lower Sex Drive
Research suggests both males and females with sleep apnea are likely to have a lowlibidoor sex drive. (Other sexes haven’t been studied.)
In one study, about 23% of men with sleep apnea had a low sex drive. They tended to be older and more depressed than men with more drive.
Sleep apnea also may be related to higher rates oferectile dysfunction.People over 65 with sleep apnea are more likely to have impaired sex drive and function.
Less research has been done on the sexual impact of sleep apnea on women. One small study showed women’s sex drive improved with sleep apnea treatment.
Other studies suggest sleep apnea treatment can improve male sex drive and performance.
CPAP and Your Sex Life
Other
Other disorders sleep apnea can lead to include:
Treatment
There are many treatments for sleep apnea. It may take some trial and error to figure out what works best for you.
CPAP/BiPAP
The most common treatment for sleep apnea is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. The machine is attached to a tube and a mask that you wear to sleep. The pressurized air keeps tissues in the airways from collapsing in.
The similar bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machine provides different pressures when breathing in than breathing out.
CPAP/BiPAP therapy can improve sleep apnea and many related conditions.
If you breathe through your mouth at night, you might need a mask that covers your nose and mouth. Or you might do well with achinstrapto keep your mouth closed. These are often used along with CPAP.
Natural Remedies for Sleep Apnea
Devices and Implants
If you’re unable to tolerate CPAP or don’t want to use one, you do have other options. Several oral devices and implants are available.
Oral devices are custom fit to you. You wear them when you sleep. These include:
Some devices may adjust both the jaw and the tongue.
A newer oral device is used when you’re awake. It stimulates the muscles in your tongue. The device is used once a day for 20 minutes, over a course of six weeks. It helps strengthen the muscles so it doesn’t collapse into your airways.
Implants are surgically implanted in your body that stimulate thehypoglossal nerve, which controls your tongue. It keeps the tongue out of the airways.
Orofacial Therapy
Orofacialmeans “mouth and face.” Orofacial therapy helps strengthen the muscles that control your:
As with other sleep apnea treatments, this can help keep the airways open.
How the Didgeridoo Helps With Sleep Apnea
Surgery
It’s sometimes used to remove upper airway obstructions. These surgeries include:
Understanding the Types of Sleep Apnea
Lifestyle Changes
Healthy lifestyle changes may help with your sleep apnea. They include:
What Is Sleep Hygiene?
Summary
Sleep apnea does much more than make you tired the next day. It increases your risk of numerous health problems.
Treating sleep apnea can lower your risk of developing other conditions and may help treat any related conditions you already have, such as diabetes or erectile dysfunction.
A Word From Verywell
You may not realize you have sleep apnea, especially if you sleep alone. If you have symptoms, like excessive daytime sleepiness, talk to your healthcare provider.
Untreated sleep apnea can lead to all kinds of health problems. Don’t take the risk—get tested and work with your healthcare provider to find treatments that work for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Over the long term, sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, type-2 diabetes, liver and kidney disease, obesity, cancer, and more.
People with untreated sleep apnea face a much higher risk of death than people without sleep apnea or those who are successfully treated.Severe sleep apnea triples your risk of dying from any cause. Regular use of a CPAP appears to significantly lower that risk.
People with untreated sleep apnea face a much higher risk of death than people without sleep apnea or those who are successfully treated.
Severe sleep apnea triples your risk of dying from any cause. Regular use of a CPAP appears to significantly lower that risk.
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24 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep deprivation and deficiency.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Sleep apnea information page.American Stroke Association.About stroke.National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Atherosclerosis.American Heart Association.What is a heart attack?National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart failure.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High blood pressure signs and symptoms.National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep apnea.Sillah A, Watson NF, Schwartz SM, Gozal D, Phipps AI.Sleep apnea and subsequent cancer incidence.Cancer Causes Control. 2018;29(10):987-994. doi:10.1007/s10552-018-1073-5Almendros I, Martinez-Garcia MA, Farré R, Gozal D.Obesity, sleep apnea, and cancer.Int J Obes (Lond). 2020;44(8):1653-1667. doi:10.1038/s41366-020-0549-zNieto FJ, Peppard PE, Young T, Finn L, Hla KM, Farré R.Sleep-disordered breathing and cancer mortality: results from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186(2):190-194. doi:10.1164/rccm.201201-0130OCVoulgaris A, Archontogeorgis K, Papanas N, et al.Increased risk for cardiovascular disease in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (overlap syndrome).Clin RespirJ. 2019;13(11):708-715.doi.10.1111/crj.13078McNicholas WT.COPD-OSA overlap syndrome: Evolving evidence regarding epidemiology, clinical consequences, and management.Chest. 2017;152(6):1318-1326. doi.10.1016/j.chest.2017.04.160Chung GE, Cho EJ, Yoo JJ, et al.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with the development of obstructive sleep apnea.Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):13473. Published 2021 Jun 29. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-92703-0Johns Hopkins Medicine.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.Jehan S, Zizi F, Pandi-Perumal SR, et al.Obstructive sleep apnea and obesity: implications for public health.Sleep Med Disord. 2017;1(4):00019.Harvard College, T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Sleep.National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Sleep apnea.Mun JK, Choi SJ, Kang MR, Hong SB, Joo EY.Sleep and libido in men with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.Sleep Med. 2018;52:158-162. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2018.07.016Kellesarian SV, Malignaggi VR, Feng C, Javed F.Association between obstructive sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Int J Impot Res. 2018;30(3):129-140. doi:10.1038/s41443-018-0017-7Petersen M, Kristensen E, Berg S, Midgren B.Long-term effects of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on sexuality in female patients with obstructive sleep apnea.Sex Med. 2013;1(2):62-68. doi:10.1002/sm2.18Clerget A, Kanbar A, Abdessater M.Troubles urinaires et génito-sexuels dans le syndrome d’apnée obstructive du sommeil : revue de la littérature[Urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea: Systematic review] [published correction appears in Prog Urol. 2021 Mar;31(4):240].Prog Urol. 2020;30(17):1069-1077. doi:10.1016/j.purol.2020.07.244Krishnan V, Dixon-Williams S, Thornton JD.Where there is smoke…there is sleep apnea: exploring the relationship between smoking and sleep apnea.Chest. 2014;146(6):1673-1680. doi:10.1378/chest.14-0772American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Study shows that people with sleep apnea have a high risk of death.Additional ReadingAmerican Sleep Apnea Association: sleepapnea.org.What is sleep apnea?National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep apnea.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep deprivation and deficiency.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Sleep apnea information page.American Stroke Association.About stroke.National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Atherosclerosis.American Heart Association.What is a heart attack?National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart failure.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High blood pressure signs and symptoms.National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep apnea.Sillah A, Watson NF, Schwartz SM, Gozal D, Phipps AI.Sleep apnea and subsequent cancer incidence.Cancer Causes Control. 2018;29(10):987-994. doi:10.1007/s10552-018-1073-5Almendros I, Martinez-Garcia MA, Farré R, Gozal D.Obesity, sleep apnea, and cancer.Int J Obes (Lond). 2020;44(8):1653-1667. doi:10.1038/s41366-020-0549-zNieto FJ, Peppard PE, Young T, Finn L, Hla KM, Farré R.Sleep-disordered breathing and cancer mortality: results from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186(2):190-194. doi:10.1164/rccm.201201-0130OCVoulgaris A, Archontogeorgis K, Papanas N, et al.Increased risk for cardiovascular disease in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (overlap syndrome).Clin RespirJ. 2019;13(11):708-715.doi.10.1111/crj.13078McNicholas WT.COPD-OSA overlap syndrome: Evolving evidence regarding epidemiology, clinical consequences, and management.Chest. 2017;152(6):1318-1326. doi.10.1016/j.chest.2017.04.160Chung GE, Cho EJ, Yoo JJ, et al.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with the development of obstructive sleep apnea.Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):13473. Published 2021 Jun 29. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-92703-0Johns Hopkins Medicine.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.Jehan S, Zizi F, Pandi-Perumal SR, et al.Obstructive sleep apnea and obesity: implications for public health.Sleep Med Disord. 2017;1(4):00019.Harvard College, T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Sleep.National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Sleep apnea.Mun JK, Choi SJ, Kang MR, Hong SB, Joo EY.Sleep and libido in men with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.Sleep Med. 2018;52:158-162. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2018.07.016Kellesarian SV, Malignaggi VR, Feng C, Javed F.Association between obstructive sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Int J Impot Res. 2018;30(3):129-140. doi:10.1038/s41443-018-0017-7Petersen M, Kristensen E, Berg S, Midgren B.Long-term effects of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on sexuality in female patients with obstructive sleep apnea.Sex Med. 2013;1(2):62-68. doi:10.1002/sm2.18Clerget A, Kanbar A, Abdessater M.Troubles urinaires et génito-sexuels dans le syndrome d’apnée obstructive du sommeil : revue de la littérature[Urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea: Systematic review] [published correction appears in Prog Urol. 2021 Mar;31(4):240].Prog Urol. 2020;30(17):1069-1077. doi:10.1016/j.purol.2020.07.244Krishnan V, Dixon-Williams S, Thornton JD.Where there is smoke…there is sleep apnea: exploring the relationship between smoking and sleep apnea.Chest. 2014;146(6):1673-1680. doi:10.1378/chest.14-0772American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Study shows that people with sleep apnea have a high risk of death.
National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep deprivation and deficiency.
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Sleep apnea information page.
American Stroke Association.About stroke.
National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Atherosclerosis.
American Heart Association.What is a heart attack?
National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart failure.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High blood pressure signs and symptoms.
National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep apnea.
Sillah A, Watson NF, Schwartz SM, Gozal D, Phipps AI.Sleep apnea and subsequent cancer incidence.Cancer Causes Control. 2018;29(10):987-994. doi:10.1007/s10552-018-1073-5
Almendros I, Martinez-Garcia MA, Farré R, Gozal D.Obesity, sleep apnea, and cancer.Int J Obes (Lond). 2020;44(8):1653-1667. doi:10.1038/s41366-020-0549-z
Nieto FJ, Peppard PE, Young T, Finn L, Hla KM, Farré R.Sleep-disordered breathing and cancer mortality: results from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186(2):190-194. doi:10.1164/rccm.201201-0130OC
Voulgaris A, Archontogeorgis K, Papanas N, et al.Increased risk for cardiovascular disease in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (overlap syndrome).Clin RespirJ. 2019;13(11):708-715.doi.10.1111/crj.13078
McNicholas WT.COPD-OSA overlap syndrome: Evolving evidence regarding epidemiology, clinical consequences, and management.Chest. 2017;152(6):1318-1326. doi.10.1016/j.chest.2017.04.160
Chung GE, Cho EJ, Yoo JJ, et al.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with the development of obstructive sleep apnea.Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):13473. Published 2021 Jun 29. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-92703-0
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Jehan S, Zizi F, Pandi-Perumal SR, et al.Obstructive sleep apnea and obesity: implications for public health.Sleep Med Disord. 2017;1(4):00019.
Harvard College, T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Sleep.
National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Sleep apnea.
Mun JK, Choi SJ, Kang MR, Hong SB, Joo EY.Sleep and libido in men with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.Sleep Med. 2018;52:158-162. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2018.07.016
Kellesarian SV, Malignaggi VR, Feng C, Javed F.Association between obstructive sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Int J Impot Res. 2018;30(3):129-140. doi:10.1038/s41443-018-0017-7
Petersen M, Kristensen E, Berg S, Midgren B.Long-term effects of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on sexuality in female patients with obstructive sleep apnea.Sex Med. 2013;1(2):62-68. doi:10.1002/sm2.18
Clerget A, Kanbar A, Abdessater M.Troubles urinaires et génito-sexuels dans le syndrome d’apnée obstructive du sommeil : revue de la littérature[Urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea: Systematic review] [published correction appears in Prog Urol. 2021 Mar;31(4):240].Prog Urol. 2020;30(17):1069-1077. doi:10.1016/j.purol.2020.07.244
Krishnan V, Dixon-Williams S, Thornton JD.Where there is smoke…there is sleep apnea: exploring the relationship between smoking and sleep apnea.Chest. 2014;146(6):1673-1680. doi:10.1378/chest.14-0772
American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Study shows that people with sleep apnea have a high risk of death.
American Sleep Apnea Association: sleepapnea.org.What is sleep apnea?National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Sleep apnea.
American Sleep Apnea Association: sleepapnea.org.What is sleep apnea?
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