Risks of Sleep Disorders
One of the most common sleep disorders, sleep apnea, carries some serious health risks if left untreated. It can lead to the following:
- Hypertension - elevated blood pressure over the normal 120/80 mmHg
- Heart failure - a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the requirements of body tissue
- Congestive heart failure (CHF) - impaired cardiac pumping that leads to the build of fluid in the lungs and heart
- Stroke - condition of the brain characterized by occlusion (blockage) of brain tissue by a blood clot
- Heart attack (myocardial infarction) - obstruction of coronary arteries resulting in portions of heart tissue death
- Diabetes - a result of a deficiency or complete lack of insulin secretion by the cells of the pancreas, or resistance to insulin
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