How Sleep Apnea Can Make Managing Diabetes More Difficult?

They may be the brunt of jokes at family gatherings ("Uncle snores so loudly he rattles the windows!"), but snoring is a serious business. Do you feel fatigued every day or wake up frequently with a headache? The reason could be shallow breathing or pauses in breathing caused by sleep apnea. But people tend to ignore these symptoms and choose to remain undiagnosed and untreated. However, if sleep apnea is left untreated, it can cause severe consequences, especially with diabetes.

If you’re suffering from diabetes, sleep apnea can make it much more difficult to manage which can make your health and life quality bad. This is because when breathing pauses while you’re asleep, there is a steep increase in carbon dioxide in your blood. This can lead to:

Insulin resistance during which the human body doesn’t use insulin effectively. This can cause more sugar in the bloodstream leading to high blood sugar levels.

• Chronic blood pressure levels
• Higher incidence of having cardiovascular disease
• Waking up with severe headaches

An inadequate amount of rest and sleep can also lead to a down in motivation to work out or even plan meals. This leads to irritation automatically affecting your relationships and the quality of living in general. Sleepiness can also cause people to forget to perform their everyday activities like wearing a seat belt while driving or even taking medicines that can lead to further diabetes complications in a way.

Sleep apnea might be genetically associated and it is most commonly detected in those who are obese or overweight, people who smoke rigorously and are aged 40.

Also Read: Are Sleep Apnea and Diabetes Related?

You may have an obstruction

There are different types of sleep apnea; one of them is named Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in which a person experiences multiple episodes of stopped breathing while sleeping. This happens due to the blockage in airflow. That is why snoring emerges as a common underlying condition with OSA. Research also suggests that the severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea is interlinked with poor glucose control. If you are suffering from diabetes and experiencing the following symptoms, you should consult your doctor for performing a sleep study, so that you could learn if you have sleep apnea or not:

• Daytime sleepiness
• Depression
• Irritation
• Sexual dysfunction
• Snoring
• Feeling fatigued most of the time

For the diagnosis process of sleep apnea, you can undergo a sleep test called a polysomnogram. It is a test that monitors and records your basic body functions while you’re asleep. The test helps in measuring a couple of things such as eye movements, electrical brain activity, muscle activity, heart rate, breathing, and blood oxygen levels.

Sleep Apnea can be treated with a device named a CPAP machine. It comes with a mask that can be worn over your nose and mouth while sleeping. If you’re afraid of using a CPAP then you shouldn’t and just get a comfortable mask for yourself to have your best sleep. If you have diabetes and want to manage sleep apnea to manage diabetes, you must try CPAP after consulting your doctor. Not to mention, you will feel so much better with a good night’s rest!

If you’re still sceptical about having Sleep Apnea, just book a home sleep test to get sure about your condition. If you get diagnosed, you’ll have access to your treatment and awareness about the seriousness of the condition.

Also Read: Why woman are more sleep-deprived as compared to men?

Disclaimer: The facts and information contained in this article are obtained from reputed medical research organizations and do not necessarily reflect the opinions & beliefs of ResMed. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content is for informational purposes only and because each person is so unique, please consult a healthcare professional for any medical queries.