Do you find yourself yawning a lot during the day? Do you feel tired hours before you usually turn in for the night? If so, you might have an issue with your airway. When there’s an obstruction in this area, people can experience trouble breathing, sleeping, and performing routine tasks during the day. These daytime consequences of airway issues are often unforeseen and can have catastrophic implications for sleep apnea sufferers.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is a condition in which breathing involuntarily stops during sleep. This airway obstruction is caused by a blockage of the airways. Blockages can be caused by excess tissue, airway collapse, or problems with airway cartilage (soft tissues like adenoids). When apnea occurs, it often lasts for at least ten seconds. If going ten seconds or longer without breathing while you’re sleeping sounds scary, it is; sleep apnea can be very dangerous if left untreated.
How Can Sleep Apnea and Airway Issues Affect You During the Day?
Most people affected by sleep apnea’s first concern is not breathing during intermittent periods during the night. What few people realize is how critical its implications are for their waking life.
Sleep apnea can affect people during the day in the following ways:
- Increased risk of being involved in an automobile accident
- Accidents around the workplace especially those jobs that involve heavy machinery
- Decreased attention
- Negative effects on your appearance
- Decreased sex drive
Airway Issues Can Also Affect Your Health
Decreased blood-oxygen saturation can lead to serious subsequent health problems.
Some of the leading potential problems associated with chronic sleep deprivation include:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Obesity
- Depression
Want to Learn More About How Sleep Apnea May Be Affecting Your Life?
If you are suffering from sleep apnea or other airway issues, know that these conditions can affect your day-to-day routine. The daytime consequences of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other types of respiratory problems include difficulty concentrating at work, lower quality of life due to fatigue and depression, and many others. Many of the ways sleep deprivation can affect us can also affect other people too. Impaired driving and decreased focus at work can affect people we know and love as well as strangers.
Contact our office today at 703-323-8200 or visit our contact page to learn more about sleep apnea, consult with a professional, or seek treatment or a diagnosis.