{"id":1363,"date":"2022-01-19T01:51:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T01:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/?p=1363"},"modified":"2025-11-19T17:38:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T17:38:47","slug":"how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/","title":{"rendered":"How Untreated Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg\" alt=\"man with sleep apnea snoring in bed\" class=\"wp-image-1364\" style=\"width:309px;height:206px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Millions of Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the majority of those cases are undiagnosed. If you have chronic snoring that affects your breathing while you sleep, it could indicate that you have sleep apnea. It\u2019s incredibly important that you reach out to a professional and confirm a diagnosis so you can receive the treatment you need. Otherwise, the disorder can contribute to multiple health issues and affect your quality of life. Read on to learn about the dangers of untreated sleep apnea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chronic Disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you suspect you may have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/sleep-apnea-treatment.html\">sleep apnea<\/a>, it\u2019s vital that you seek treatment because it can ease (maybe even cure) certain health issues. With that in mind, here are a few chronic conditions that worsen if you allow your sleep disorder to go untreated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>High Blood Pressure <\/strong>\u2013 Do you already have high blood pressure (hypertension)? Sleep apnea can make it worse. When you\u2019re constantly waking up throughout the night, it puts your body under additional stress, leading to an increase in blood pressure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Heart Disease <\/strong>\u2013 Waking up frequently can also put extra stress on your heart, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, people with sleep apnea are more likely to have heart attacks due to low oxygen levels. Since the disorder affects how your body takes in oxygen, it makes it harder for your brain to control how blood flows in your arteries and the brain itself.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Type 2 Diabetes <\/strong>\u2013 Obesity is a common risk factor for sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes. Although studies haven\u2019t shown a cause-and-effect link between the two conditions, failing to get a full night of sleep can keep your body from using insulin properly, leading to diabetes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Memory Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Believe it or not, sleep apnea can play a role in increasing a person\u2019s risk of cognitive decline and developing dementia. A study published by Neurology in 2014 found that men with sleep apnea had higher rates of microinfarcts (mini-strokes) and an increase in brain atrophy. Even though you may not develop dementia as a result of sleep apnea, the effects can make it feel like you\u2019re experiencing some degree of cognitive deterioration. Treating sleep apnea has often led to an improvement in concentration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Increased Risk of Cancer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that people with melanoma and pancreatic or kidney cancer were likely to have sleep apnea. Luckily, the sleep disorder does not affect the risk of developing breast or prostate cancer. Plus, those with sleep apnea were not more likely to die of cancer than those without sleep apnea. All in all, the disorder seems to just play a role in increasing a person\u2019s cancer risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you think you may have sleep apnea? Contact a professional right away for a diagnosis. With their help, you can get a good night\u2019s rest and enjoy a better quality of life in no time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Distinctive Smiles of Dublin, we are passionate about helping patients achieve and maintain optimal health. Our team uses the latest techniques and most advanced technologies to ensure you receive the best treatment possible. If you have sleep apnea, we can help you get a full night of rest once again. Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or call <strong>(614) 792-1800<\/strong> to make an appointment. &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Millions of Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the majority of those cases are undiagnosed. If you have chronic snoring that affects your breathing while you sleep, it could indicate that you have sleep apnea. It\u2019s incredibly important that you reach out to a professional and confirm a diagnosis so you can receive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Untreated Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sleep apnea affects more than your quality of rest \u2013 it affects your overall health too. Here are the dangers of untreated sleep apnea.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How Untreated Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Health\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Sleep apnea affects more than your quality of rest \u2013 it affects your overall health too. Here are the dangers of untreated sleep apnea.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/\",\"name\":\"How Untreated Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Health\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-19T01:51:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-19T17:38:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/065b36e5c38de67c6a70f46b9c75ccf2\"},\"description\":\"Sleep apnea affects more than your quality of rest \u2013 it affects your overall health too. Here are the dangers of untreated sleep apnea.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Untreated Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Health\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Distinctive Smiles of Dublin\",\"description\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/065b36e5c38de67c6a70f46b9c75ccf2\",\"name\":\"Dr. Buck\",\"description\":\"Dr. Buck holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in zoology from Miami University and is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. Originally from Louisville, OH, Dr. Buck and his family have lived in the Dublin area for over ten years. His wife, Heather, is a business analyst for Fiserv Corporation in Dublin and likes traveling and reading. Dr. Buck and his wife have two children, Logan and Riley. Their son Logan is three years old and enjoys pizza, corndogs, and playing with his little friends. And their daughter Riley is just a few months old and she enjoys sleeping and being cute. Dr. Buck is an avid Buckeye fan and enjoys golfing, traveling, cooking\/grilling, and spending time with family and friends. Dr. Buck is very passionate about providing great dental care and accomplishing the goals of his patients. He believes a person\u2019s confidence and self esteem begin with healthy teeth and a beautiful smile.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Untreated Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Health","description":"Sleep apnea affects more than your quality of rest \u2013 it affects your overall health too. Here are the dangers of untreated sleep apnea.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"How Untreated Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Health","twitter_description":"Sleep apnea affects more than your quality of rest \u2013 it affects your overall health too. Here are the dangers of untreated sleep apnea.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/","url":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/","name":"How Untreated Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Health","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg","datePublished":"2022-01-19T01:51:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-19T17:38:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/065b36e5c38de67c6a70f46b9c75ccf2"},"description":"Sleep apnea affects more than your quality of rest \u2013 it affects your overall health too. Here are the dangers of untreated sleep apnea.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/AdobeStock_163417135__1645754164_92917.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/how-untreated-sleep-apnea-can-affect-health\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Untreated Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Health"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/","name":"Distinctive Smiles of Dublin","description":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/065b36e5c38de67c6a70f46b9c75ccf2","name":"Dr. Buck","description":"Dr. Buck holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in zoology from Miami University and is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. Originally from Louisville, OH, Dr. Buck and his family have lived in the Dublin area for over ten years. His wife, Heather, is a business analyst for Fiserv Corporation in Dublin and likes traveling and reading. Dr. Buck and his wife have two children, Logan and Riley. Their son Logan is three years old and enjoys pizza, corndogs, and playing with his little friends. And their daughter Riley is just a few months old and she enjoys sleeping and being cute. Dr. Buck is an avid Buckeye fan and enjoys golfing, traveling, cooking\/grilling, and spending time with family and friends. Dr. Buck is very passionate about providing great dental care and accomplishing the goals of his patients. He believes a person\u2019s confidence and self esteem begin with healthy teeth and a beautiful smile.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1363"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1786,"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1363\/revisions\/1786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.distinctive-smiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}