What are obstructive sleep apnea symptoms?
Obstructive sleep apnea has many well-studied consequences. First, as you would expect, it disrupts sleep. Patients with disrupted sleep cannot concentrate, think, or remember as well during the day. This has been shown to cause more accidents in the work place and while driving. Thus, people with obstructive sleep apnea have a three-fold greater risk of a car accident than the general population (there aren’t many diseases that can kill the patient AND the people in the car next to him or her!). High blood pressure Sleep apnea causes high blood pressure and heart problems. Stopping breathing frequently during the night (every 1-4 minutes) can cause increased stress on the heart. As the oxygen saturation in the blood decreases and the apnea continues, the sympathetic system (“Fight or Flight” response) is activated. This sends nerve signals and adrenaline signals to the blood vessels to constrict and to the heart to work harder. When the vessels constrict, more blood is sent to the bra
