Having sleep apnea or knowing someone with sleep apnea can definitely raise concerns and that’s totally right because sleep apnea can turn risky at any moment which is why I’m here to share my knowledge about it.
So, can sleep apnea cause a stroke? Yes, sleep apnea can lead to stroke if left untreated. It can also cause other irreversible health damage which is why sleep apnea must not be ignored even if it doesn’t seem dangerous.
According to studies, there is now a lot of evidence that proves sleep apnea has deep ties with cardiovascular risk factors which increases the possibility of a stroke.
It is also observed that middle-aged adults are more prone to stroke when they have severe sleep apnea and men are also more prone to stroke than women when they have sleep apnea.
There are also speculations that sleep apnea can be caused by a stroke which means it can be the other way around.
Sleep apnea actually does a lot to our body without us noticing it especially because we are asleep. Most of the time, we learn about having sleep apnea when close people notice our sleeping behavior.
When you are having a “sleep apnea attack”, your breathing becomes difficult and thus your body will have to exert a lot of effort to keep you breathing.
However, this amount of effort usually does not work well and there will be insufficient oxygen in the brain and having less oxygen in the brain will prevent you from having a nice sleep because your body is worked up.
Your brain will activate a “wake up call” on you which you may not even notice, you will be awake for a few seconds just to gasp for air because you couldn’t breathe very well due to sleep apnea.
When this goes on, sleep apnea will continue to distort your brain’s functionality while you are sleeping and your body will be thrown into a messy system that may eventually affect your blood rate and the heartbeat.
And now, having dysfunctional or uncontrollable blood pressure and heart rate are proven to be risk factors for stroke. That is how sleep apnea causes stroke among people.
Now that you know sleep apnea can actually cause stroke which is a deadly condition, the next step you must take is learning how to prevent it, avoid it or better yet, completely get rid of through treatments.
How to prevent sleep apnea from causing stroke
The first step of preventing stroke is by eliminating what causes it. Here are existing treatments for sleep apnea to help protect yourself from the potential risks.
- Rapid Maxillary Expansion
- For children with obstructive sleep apnea. This process places an expandable brace on the roof of the mouth that increases the width of the upper jaw (maxilla).
- Over time, parents can adjust the brace using a special key to increase the amount of pressure for the teeth.
- Jaw Advancement Surgery
- For teenagers and adults. This process will surgically break the jaw bones, moved forward and then fixed properly with screws and plates and will change the person’s facial structure or profile.
- It might take months to recover.
- CPAP Machine Treatment
- Works for any age. Stands for “Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device”
- The person diagnosed will have to use a mask connected to a machine that will force air to the obstructed airway from the oropharyngeal.
- The mask placed over the mouth or nose will blow air into the airway to help keep it open during sleep. Highly recommended and proven effective by a majority of sleep apnea patient.
- Surgical Airway Advancement
- Similar to the 2nd example. Bones of the upper and lower jaw will be repositioned in a way that will relieve airway obstruction.
Even though children may not be prone to stroke, letting the sleep apnea develop and be carried into adulthood will definitely expose them to the risks so as early as possible, fix the problem.
What other risks sleep apnea has aside from stroke
Sleep apnea is a threat to your health and carries huge risks aside from stroke. Therefore, it’s important to treat it once you find out you have it. Check out this list that tells you what happens to untreated sleep apnea.
- Heart failure
- May lead to fatal conditions such as brain damages or even death
- The difference of stroke & heart failure: Heart failure is when the blood fails to reach the heart due to a blood clot, this happens because of the lack of oxygen brought by sleep apnea.
- A stroke is when the blood fails to circulate to the brain because a blood vessel is clogged, so they are two different things.
- Heart attack
- Can also be severely threatening, can lead to stroke
- Irregular heartbeat
- Worsens the ability to breathe, can also lead to stroke
- Diabetes
- Leaves you prone to more heart attacks and stroke
- High Blood Pressure
- Aside from your physical health, this can also affect your mental health and relationship with people around you including your work
- Also increases the risk of stroke
- Increases ADHD
- Sleep apnea reduces your ability to focus which is what happens when you have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Triggers depression
- The lack of sleep brought by sleep apnea causes depression, irritability, and other negative emotions
- Headaches
- You may wake up with a bad headache which will lead to other problems listed here
- Lack of daily energy
- As mentioned, your energy will be reduced since you are unable to sleep well.
The thing is, sleep apnea, if left untreated or worsened by other factors, can lead to death. Its risks can be fatal and leave permanent damage such as stroke which is what we are trying to avoid.
If diagnosed with sleep apnea, one must consider treating the problem as soon as possible in order to prevent any unwanted scenarios related to your health.
What increases the risk of stroke with sleep apnea
If you are trying to treat your sleep apnea so you can avoid stroke, once again, you should know what can also cause sleep apnea itself.
Treating the problem is pointless if the cause is not fully eliminated. These factors contribute to sleep apnea and should be noted.
- Obesity
- Can make breathing difficult even while asleep or not moving
- Hypothyroidism
- The condition wherein your body does not produce enough thyroid hormones, which is needed to control how to use energy received from food through metabolism. Bad metabolism can affect heartbeat and breathing.
- Acromegaly
- Opposite of hypothyroidism, acromegaly produces too much growth hormones which can affect your overall health including breathing.
- Allergies
- There are certain allergies that can worsen sleep apnea. Allergies that result with difficulty in breathing are the likes.
- Smoking cigarettes
- Excessive smoking can cause sleep apnea or worsen it
- Drinking liquor
- Too much liquor and drinking before going to sleep can cause sleep apnea.
- Drug usage
- Sedations or other types of drugs especially when being abused can result in sleep apnea or worse.
- Being male
- Observations reveal that males tend to have sleep apnea more than females
- Being old
- Observations also revealed that older adults are more prone to sleep apnea than younger ones due to more complicated health issues that may trigger sleep apnea
Other natural causes of sleep apnea can be a thick neck, narrow throat and having a round head. Avoid triggering your allergies or get medications for other conditions to reverse your sleep apnea.
How to find out if you have sleep apnea that can cause stroke
One of the most common ways to identify sleep apnea is by conducting a “sleep study” wherein the patient will have to stay in a center where doctors and nurses would be observing their sleeping habits.
Not only the sleeping behavior, but other factors that could be a sign of sleep apnea as well. Here’s a list of sleep apnea signs to watch out for if you are not ready to go for a sleep study yet.
- Heavy snoring
- Maybe, it can be a sign of fatigue but snoring loudly and usually can be a sign of sleep apnea.
- Gasping for air during sleep
- The feeling of drowning without knowing it and suddenly you’re out of air. You may not be aware of this, but you may wake up for a few seconds just to gasp for air.
- This is because your brain will force you to wake up in order to save you from dying in your sleep because of the difficulty in breathing or sleep apnea.
- Insomnia
- Having trouble going to sleep because you have breathing problems that you may not notice
- Hypersomnia
- Having trouble staying awake in the morning because you were unable to sleep well due to your sleep apnea
- Waking up with a headache
- Sleep apnea can disturb your body’s “charging” state. Since you can’t sleep well, your body will use energy for means that can help you breathe which may lead to headaches.
- Waking up with a dry mouth
- With sleep apnea, the person tends to snore and keep their mouth open when gasping for air which leads to a dried up mouth once we awaken.
- Decreased ability to focus
- Sleep apnea can give lack of sleep which will also result in difficulty to focus on anything
- Feeling uncomfortable
- Your lack of energy due to sleep apnea can make you feel uncomfortable and irritable without your knowledge
- Suddenly stop breathing during sleep
- Your housemates should notice this and tell you about it. Sleep apnea can disrupt breathing that may last for up to 10 seconds which is already risky.
There are three types of sleep apnea that you may be diagnosed with.
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- The most common sleep apnea that can be present in all ages. When the breathing is obstructed due to various factors, is it because of obstructive sleep apnea which may require surgery
- Central sleep apnea
- When your brain fails to send the proper signals to your body to command it to “breathe”, it is because of central sleep apnea
- Complex sleep apnea syndrome
- This is the combination of the first two sleep apneas and also poses higher risks than a normal obstructed sleep apnea.
- It may also be more difficult to treat this not knowing the major cause of the condition
Again, we want to remind everyone who suspects that they have sleep apnea to get checked and treated when they have the chance.
Related Questions
- Can sleep apnea cause migraines?
Yes, sleep apnea can definitely cause migraines. This is usually because the difficulty in breathing may lead to dysfunctional brain activities. Having a messed up system in your body will cause a lot of problems.
It is similar to how computer works, when the “brain” crashes, the entire system will end up in a mess and crash.
Since your body gets worked up while you are asleep, you tend to wake up in the middle of the sleep apnea attack causing you to get disrupted rest. Lack of sleep and proper rest leads to headaches or migraines.
- Can sleep apnea kill?
Yes, you can die from sleep apnea. There are already reported cases of death from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea will produce a lot of or health threats that can lead to deadly conditions such as heart failures.
