The experts at Spark Sleep Solutions work hard to design the best sleep program for your needs. Whether you work with our San Ramon office or another of our locations, you’ll always receive the best care from our compassionate staff. When we design a sleep apnea program, you should follow it exactly to get the best results. However, some people view sleep apnea treatment as merely a way to stop snoring and don’t fully follow the program. Doing so can have serious consequences.
Sleep Apnea Treatment in San Jose Helps Manage Your Health
While reducing or eliminating snoring and feeling more awake during the day are two major benefits of sleep apnea treatment, the underlying physiological benefits are even more important. When you stop breathing during sleep, your body experiences an internal stress response that affects virtually every major system. Eliminating this stress requires consistent compliance. Using a sleep appliance for sleep apnea, can make it much easier to reach compliance, as patients generally report better adherence throughout the night and more nights each week, compared to the alternative CPAP mask. Compliance with your prescribed protocol is necessary to prevent severe cardiovascular, cognitive, and metabolic consequences.
Cardiovascular Defense
Blood oxygen levels drop every time your airway collapses, triggering a fight-or-flight response. This situation results in a massive spike in blood pressure and adrenaline. Nightly pressure spikes can lead to thickening of the heart wall, a precursor to heart failure. Chronic sleep apnea affects heart rhythm, which significantly increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (Afib). Consistent compliance reduces the risk of blood clots and arterial damage, which can lead to stroke.
Metabolic Regulation and Weight
Lack of oxygen and interrupted sleep disrupts Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and Leptin, which signals fullness. Poor sleep quality alters how your body processes glucose, making it nearly impossible for many people to lose weight. It also significantly increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Deep sleep also helps your body repair itself and burn fat. If you never reach deep sleep due to apnea, your metabolism remains sluggish.
Neurological Health and Brain Fog
The brain fog associated with sleep apnea isn’t just tiredness; it stems from repeated low-oxygen levels. Recent research also suggests that untreated sleep apnea may accelerate the number of plaques in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Compliance with your sleep apnea treatment in San Jose also involves public safety. Untreated apnea sufferers are more likely to experience micro-sleeps while driving. Nodding off behind the wheel is just as dangerous as driving under the influence.
Mental Health and Emotional Regulation
Fragmented sleep prevents the brain from entering REM cycles necessary for emotional processing. This state can lead to depression and anxiety, as clinical studies show a high correlation between sleep apnea and treatment-resistant depression. Often, what seems to be a mood disorder may be a brain starved of restorative sleep. A chronic lack of oxygen also induces systemic inflammation, which researchers have increasingly linked to mental health issues.
If you are having difficulty following your protocol because of your sleep appliance for sleep apnea, Spark Sleep Solutions can help. Call our San Ramon office today to schedule an appointment.