Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. It is a potentially serious disorder since people with OSA are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease if it is not appropriately treated. During OSA, the sudden decline in blood oxygen levels would raise the blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system. Besides cardiovascular disease, people with OSA can also have other complications including daytime fatigue and eye problems.
During the 27th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS) held between June 1 and 5, 2013 at the Baltimore Convention Center, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is advising people with Type-2 diabetes or hypertension to be evaluated for sleep apnea by a board-certified sleep medicine physician.
Patients suffering from Type-2 diabetes and hypertension are at much higher risk for OSA, as shown by overwhelming clinical evidence, Research also indicated that treating OSA could help manage these 2 disorders, including improved insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and cholesterol.
As revealed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 25.6 million Americans aged 20 years or older suffer from diabetes. 90 to 95 percent of these patients are Type-2 diabetics. 7 in 10 people with Type-2 diabetes also have OSA, and it was found that the severity of the sleep disorder directly affects the glucose control.
Treating sleep apnea in diabetics could not only lower their nighttime glucose levels and insulin sensitivity but also provide them with benefits of improved sleep unrelated to diabetes, including better alertness during the day and improved memory as well as cognitive function.
According to a recent study by the University of Chicago, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment of sleep apnea might have an effect comparable to prescribed oral diabetes medications.
In the study, average 24-hour glucose levels were reduced and post-breakfast glucose response was improved in Type-2 diabetics with OSA, with just one week of optimal CPAP. CPAP therapy also reduced dawn phenomenon, an early-morning surge in blood sugar in people with Type-2 diabetes, by 45 percent.
About 67 million Americans have hypertension, or 1 in every 3 adults. 30 to 40 percent of these patients also have sleep apnea. Approximately 80 percent of those who do not respond to hypertensive drugs have sleep apnea.
The nighttime and daytime blood pressure will decline with appropriate sleep apnea treatment. For patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea, the treatment would give them the greatest improvement. Reducing blood pressure would naturally lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve the overall health.
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