Diabetes is a disease which isn’t only feared and dreaded because of its debilitating symptoms and lifestyle-altering implications, but also one that is feared and dreaded because of the complications the disease is known to lead the body to.
One such complication is obstructive sleep apnea or OSD.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSD is the most commonly encountered form of apnea, which is the technical term referring to the absence/lack of breathing. In OSA conditions, those afflicted by it are identified as heavy snorers, who would pause breathing for seconds at a time at random or sequenced intervals.
The pauses would lead to the lesser amount of oxygen being introduced into the blood, which in turn would burden the heart to working double time to compensate for the lack of oxygen.
This would, in turn, lead to other complications like instances of strokes or heart attacks.
The Diabetes and OSA Connection
Studies reveal that diabetics are more likely to suffer from OSA, with a 1 in 4 chance over those without diabetes.
In a study conducted in 2006, physicians from the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine learned that 23% of men with Type 2 diabetes suffer from OSA, while only 1 to 5% of the general population have to contend with OSD and its risks.
A different study in France also reveals that diabetics with OSD tend to have more troubles in maintaining blood glucose levels, compared to diabetics without OSD. Generally, a huge 50% chunk of diabetics is known to suffer from some form of sleep-breathing related disorder.
Should you know of someone with such symptoms, it’s best to call for a check up, to ensure that one’s diabetes is free from OSD.
