Obstructive sleep apnoea continues to be the most common sleep disorder in the general population worldwide¹, but the dangers of undiagnosed and untreated obstructive sleep apnoea can be severe.

We explore the serious implications undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnoea can have on your health and your life below.

1. Undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnoea can severely impact your health

If you think you have sleep apnoea, and haven’t been diagnosed, it’s highly likely that you can suffer from the following health conditions²:

• Hypertension

• Type 2 diabetes

• Stroke

• Cancer

• Congestive heart failure

• Coronary artery disease

• Cardiac arrhythmias

• Depression

It’s estimated that only 40% of people who are suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea have been diagnosed².

2. Your quality of life is lower if you don’t treat your sleep apnoea

 People who are living with untreated or undiagnosed sleep apnoea experience symptoms including²:

• Daytime sleepiness

• Decreased brain function

They are also at an increased risk for accidents and making mistakes in their professional lives.

Research has shown that depression in people living with undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnoea can be as high as 50%³.

However, once untreated patients received CPAP treatment, there was a significant reduction in depressive symptoms.

3. Finding the treatment that works for you can change your life

After you’ve been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea, making sure you find the treatment that works for your lifestyle and ensuring you can stick to it can change your life.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a chronic disease that requires long-term multidisciplinary management⁴.

This means that in order to treat your sleep apnoea in the most effective way, a range of treatments must be used at the same time.

For some people, this can include a CPAP machine and making lifestyle changes to lose weight (if they are overweight).

For others, it can mean improving their sleep hygiene and finding alternative therapies, including surgery to treat their sleep apnoea.

If you’re worried you may be suffering from untreated sleep apnoea, book an At-Home Sleep Apnoea test at your local Blooms The Chemist today. Our friendly Pharmacists can help guide you through the range of CPAP machines we offer.

References

¹Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Sleep-related breathing disorders with a focus on obstructive sleep apnoea, accessed 27 March 2023

²United States National Library of Medicine, Clinical consequences and economic costs of untreated obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, accessed 27 March 2023

³United States National Library of Medicine, Association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and depression and the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, accessed 27 March 2023

⁴American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Clinical Guideline for the Evaluation, Management and Long-term Care of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults, accessed 27 March 2023