Patients with snoring and untreated OSA have a higher risk of both stroke and cardiovascular disease. Sleep apnea can be associated with recent weight gain. Tiredness can cause people to eat for stimulation and skip exercise. Over time, these habits result in obesity, which can worsen sleep apnea, leading to a progression in severity of both conditions.
OSA-sleep deprivation from any cause increases blood glucose, blood pressure, and triglycerides. Snoring and OSA causes higher cortisol levels resulting in resistant hypertension. The reasons for this are complex but seem to include increased sympathetic nervous system activity and adrenal cortisol and catecholamine output.
There is strong evidence to indicate that OSA and the risk of type 2 diabetes are associated which may be largely attributed to the epidemic of obesity.
There is increasing epidemiologic evidence suggesting that habitual snoring and OSA have adverse effects on glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and the risk of diabetes mellitus, that are independent of the degree of obesity.
Intermittent hypoxia and reduced sleep duration due to sleep fragmentation, as occur in OSA, exert adverse effects on glucose metabolism. The interactions among the rising epidemics of obesity, OSA, and type 2 diabetes are likely to be complex and involve multiple pathways.
Treatment Protocol:
Treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapy or by surgery (eg.LAUP, CAUP) can improve glycemic control and blood pressure.
