According to researchers, in individuals diagnosed with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, a correlation has been found to suggest that the risk for the development of type 2 diabetes in these individuals is increased 3 times more than in individuals who have not been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.
Contrarily, individuals who have already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are more likely to co-morbidly suffer from obstructive sleep apnea as well, a sleep disorder that causes the individual to endure periods of intermittent episodes in which they stop breathing or take shallow breaths while they are asleep.
Conducted by scientists at The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA, a study examining a randomized sample of more than 1,700 adults within the Penn State Adult Cohort discovered that of those suffering from the unsettling sleep disorder were more likely to also have high blood pressure.
Each participant was assessed via physical exam prior to being monitored in a sleep lab. The relationship between the conditions was so strong in fact, that researchers reported the risk of developing high blood pressure as four times as high opposed to individuals who did not suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Subjects’ health was re-evaluated after a period of ten years.
Results yielded the observation that the participants most at risk for developing either condition were among the young to middle aged adults – it was not the older adults that one might expect to be diagnosed with the disorders most often. This led the team of researchers to believe that the early detection and treatment of the conditions was an important factor in determining the overall outcome of the individuals’ health in the long-term.
The results were shared first at the Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, also known as SLEEP 2017, on the 5th of June, and is expected to be discussed in detail on Wednesday, June 7. The study’s findings were so astounding, that the results have already been published in an online scholarly journal entitled, Sleep.
A study published in Family Medicine confirms the findings that there is a positive correlation between diabetes and sleep apnea, stating that people who have diabetes have a 50-50 chance of also experiencing episodes of sleep apnea.
Seeing how sleep apnea can cause other problems, like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke, it is increasingly important to understand why the relationship between the two conditions is present and how diabetics can best prevent a co-morbid diagnosis of sleep apnea. By preventing sleep apnea, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke may also occur at a lesser rate as a complication of diabetes.
Symptoms of sleep apnea include excessive fatigue during the day, snoring, difficulty with memory, and frequent headaches upon waking.
Doctors urge the public to educate themselves about the signs of sleep apnea, and to be evaluated yearly for signs of metabolic abnormalities. By engaging in activities and lifestyle practices that facilitate a healthy weight, healthy diet, cardiovascular fitness, and proper stress management, the development of many of these chronic health conditions can be avoided.