The risk of dying from sleep apnea

I've been diagnosed with "moderate" sleep apnea and am currently in my first month of CPAP therapy. I believe I've studied the subject of sleep apnea fairly thoroughly via this board and elsewhere on the web.

During all this time, I believed that my diagnosis was an effort to try and resolve my insomnia. I never considered the fact that I could die from it. That possibility was never raised by the people at the sleep clinic or my personal doctor... It was mainly to focus on fixing my insomnia issue. And so far, I've showed good steady progress.

The reason I bring this up is that I get the impression that some people on this board (and others) approach this issue with the idea that if you're diagnosed with sleep apnea that you're at the same risk of dying from it as everyone else diagnosed with sleep apnea.

I know that my diagnosis puts me at a higher risk than the rest of the non-diagnosed population but I also believe each situation is different. So far I've tried to follow the "best practices" towards CPAP recommended by my Dr., along with suggestions I get off this board, but am I being too cavalier about this? Yes, I know the response, that it's better to be safe than sorry but sometimes I think some of the suggestions and/or responses on this board go overboard and that we can't assume that someone with moderate sleep apnea runs the same risk of dying from it than someone with severe apnea. I mean, isn't that why there are various degrees of severity?

Over time moderate sleep apnea would create the same health problems as severe. Your heart is having to pump faster to keep oxygen flowing so it might take longer but any level will deteriorate health eventually.

Glad it is helping you. Some people have a hard time adapting.

novatom wrote: I think some of the suggestions and/or responses on this board go overboard and that we can't assume that someone with moderate sleep apnea runs the same risk of dying from it than someone with severe apnea. I mean, isn't that why there are various degrees of severity?

the severity of sleep apnea is how many times an hour you stop breathing.... rather oversimplified, I think.

how many times does it take for you to choke, not get air, have your BP spike, and pop a stroke?

one? 100? 1000? 10000?

all depends on how lucky you are.

you wanna roll the dice and hope you're lucky... it's your life... well, yours and whoever has to change your diapers afterwards.

Some people with untreated sleep apnea develop secondary problems from the oxygen desaturations and respiratory effort. We're here because we believe optimally treating our sleep apnea allows us to live a basically normal life and lifespan. Those who do not treat or in denial of their condition are kind of beyond my reach to help. We sometimes see extreme cases here that really do have life-threatening primary apnea, and it's a real eye opener.

Assuming you are committed to treating your moderate sleep apnea, the discussion or fear of dying is pretty irrelevant. We all die, but somehow, I doubt it will be sleep apnea that does me in. I can manage that.

High blood pressure is the "side effect" of having events. That enlarges your heart which eventually can lead to a heart attack. Or the events lead to diabetes which leads to heart problems. Or you fall asleep at the wheel and take out a family.

Think of it as playing with matches. Fun and not a problem until one falls on something flammable. Then the house burns down.

novatom wrote:I've been diagnosed with "moderate" sleep apnea and am currently in my first month of CPAP therapy. I believe I've studied the subject of sleep apnea fairly thoroughly via this board and elsewhere on the web.

During all this time, I believed that my diagnosis was an effort to try and resolve my insomnia. I never considered the fact that I could die from it. That possibility was never raised by the people at the sleep clinic or my personal doctor... It was mainly to focus on fixing my insomnia issue. And so far, I've showed good steady progress.

The reason I bring this up is that I get the impression that some people on this board (and others) approach this issue with the idea that if you're diagnosed with sleep apnea that you're at the same risk of dying from it as everyone else diagnosed with sleep apnea.

I know that my diagnosis puts me at a higher risk than the rest of the non-diagnosed population but I also believe each situation is different. So far I've tried to follow the "best practices" towards CPAP recommended by my Dr., along with suggestions I get off this board, but am I being too cavalier about this? Yes, I know the response, that it's better to be safe than sorry but sometimes I think some of the suggestions and/or responses on this board go overboard and that we can't assume that someone with moderate sleep apnea runs the same risk of dying from it than someone with severe apnea. I mean, isn't that why there are various degrees of severity?

I don't know if it was just me, but I had trouble following some of the things you were saying.
But.......
The risk of dying WITH sleep apnea is "real"........especially if untreated. With "optimal" (effective) treatment, it's as if you didn't have it. Sleep apnea is a slow killer and leads to other problems like Diabetes, heart diseases, depression and any number of medical issues. Many of the forum members and users of this therapy already have these medical issues because they were well on their way before they got diagnosed and into using the therapy.

And, as far as "mild" or "moderate" apnea goes, it could be that it was caught BEFORE it became "severe".


Den

.

You don't have much to worry about from playing with matches, you are swimming in De-Nile, if you catch on fire just turn over in the water! You are stopping getting fresh air in your lungs, that causes the body to die, sometimes a little at a time, sometimes at once. How you want your life to be is up to you. Keep paddling, it's your choice. Jim

Lets just say I personally know someone who is now taking care of her brother, 24-7....

He is in congestive heart failure with a very short time left to live. His Dr's flat out told them that the major factor in this is untreated sleep apnea.



Thanks but I will wear my mask, if it's all the same to you....

The risk is high if the apnea goes untreated. The key is to treat the apnea whether severe or less... Treatment cuts the risk.

I wish you well...

I think of it like this; If your life is 100 miles, the things we do increase or decrease our speed towards that 100 mile mark.

Untreated sleep apnea increases our speed; severe OSA faster than mild OSA, excessive drinking increases your speed, diabetes, untreated medical problems..... All increase your speed to the end.

Working out, eating right, drinking in moderation will slow you down. Staying on top of and treating those medical problems and conditions should slow you down too. Of course there's no guarantees...

Nozzelnut wrote:I think of it like this; If your life is 100 miles, the things we do increase or decrease our speed towards that 100 mile mark.

Untreated sleep apnea increases our speed; severe OSA faster than mild OSA, excessive drinking increases your speed, diabetes, untreated medical problems..... All increase your speed to the end.

Working out, eating right, drinking in moderation will slow you down. Staying on top of and treating those medical problems and conditions should slow you down too. Of course there's no guarantees...

One must look out for buses, not being a Red Neck extends your milage too. Jim

Sure, the degree of risk varies. I'm not sure why you feel forum members believe the risk is the same. I believe there are health risks involved even with mild sleep apnea, but I wouldn't necessarily worry about that person's risk of a sudden crisis. But those I know with untreated sleep apnea that appears severe when I observe them asleep, I do worry about a crisis during sleep. I can tell you that my health began crashing long before my sleep apnea was in the severe range.

Think of apnea as being like smoking cigarettes. If your AHI is 10, it's like smoking 10 cigarettes a day. If it's 40, you're a two pack a day smoker.

Yes, it's oversimplified, but it conveys the concept.

Sort of like Russian Roulette most times you will be ok . But I mentioned I had
started cpap to someone I know and they shared with me that there son was on
cpap. But one day he decided not to put it on and never woke up.

Since some people like the thought of dying a heroic death, saying that is equal to living life to the fullest. Or some people are just sick of their life. I say, it is not just about whether one can die from sleep apnea, whether treated, or just not properly treated. Doing Sleep Apnea treatment properly is about having more fun in life. Waking up refreshed, having energy, even getting a decent morning Blood Glucose reading (a lot of us are diabetic as well), because a really bad morning blood glucose reading makes me feel awful. and makes me fight through the rest of the day trying to make it right. Which is how I feel if I do not get a good nights sleep, and did not have diabetes.

Doing the treatment, is about having fun when I am awake.