There are a number of risks which can accompany a sleep disorder. Some of them include:

Heart Disease

  • 5.7 million people in the US have heart failure
  • Approximately 76% of congestive heart failure patients have sleep disordered breathing

Hypertension

  • Studies have shown that sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for hypertension
  • Treatment of sleep apnea with a CPAP generally improves blood pressure control

Type 2 Diabetes

  • Sleep apnea may have a causal role in the development of type 2 diabetes
  • 86% of obese type 2 diabetic patients suffer from sleep apnea

Stroke

  • 65% of stroke patients have sleep-disordered breathing
  • Moderate to severe sleep apnea triples stroke risk in men

Mortality

  • Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with a 3-fold increase in mortality risk
  • Severe sleep apnea raises death risk by 46%

Traffic Accidents

  • People with moderate to severe sleep apnea have up to 15 times higher risk of being involved in a traffic accident
  • Sleep apnea is estimated to annually cost 980 lives and $11.1 billion in vehicle accidents