Are Sleep Apnea and Diabetes Related?

While sleep apnea and diabetes are two different medical conditions, they can be related to one another. Learn more about the signs and symptoms of each of these conditions, how they are related, and how each can impact you below.  If you think you may have either one of these conditions, you should consult a doctor.

About Sleep Apnea and Diabetes

What is sleep apnea? Sleep apnea is a condition where someone’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep as a result of the person’s airway collapsing. Usually, when the person’s airway closes, they are woken from sleep gasping for breath. Some signs and symptoms that you or someone you know may have sleep apnea include loud snoring, gasping for breath during sleep, morning headaches, difficulty staying asleep, daytime fatigue, and trouble concentrating. What is diabetes? Diabetes is a disease where the body cannot correctly produce or respond to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps a person’s body break down glucose from the food they eat. When a person doesn’t have insulin, their body cannot get the glucose to the cells that need it. With type 1 diabetes a person’s body does not make insulin at all, but with type 2 diabetes, your body does not make insulin very well. As you can see, sleep apnea and diabetes are two very different medical conditions. One of these conditions involves sleep, and other involves the process of getting glucose to a person’s cells. Are these two medical issues related? Let’s find out!

Are Sleep Apnea and Diabetes Related?

There is some connection between sleep apnea and diabetes, but the exact link is not known. It appears that those with sleep apnea have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and those with type 2 diabetes can also experience sleep issues and develop sleep apnea. Sleep apnea causes people to have a very poor quality of sleep, and it can lead to a lot of bigger medical issues. Sleep apnea can cause heart problems, high blood pressure problems, and liver problems, so it is not a surprise that sleep apnea could also cause people problems with insulin resistance. When someone has sleep apnea, their throat repeatedly closes up during sleep, and they do not get enough oxygen circulated through their blood, causing a deficit to their whole body.  This lack of oxygen can lead to some of the medical issues discussed above. That is why it is essential to consult a doctor for treatment for sleep apnea if you or someone you know thinks they may have this sleep disorder. On the other hand, people with type 2 diabetes can also be diagnosed with sleep apnea. In fact, there may be as high as a 50 percent chance of someone with type 2 diabetes getting sleep apnea. If sleep apnea goes untreated, it can cause even more issues with insulin and glucose control. Sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes can be related conditions. They may coexist because they share certain risk factors like obesity between the two. Regardless, if you know someone who has one of these conditions, you will want to be sure they are aware of the other. Also, always consult a medical professional for treatment.

Treatment of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is more than just a sleeping problem. It is a serious sleeping disorder that can lead to more dangerous conditions including diabetes. However, a doctor can help you with the treatment of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is most commonly treated with a CPAP machine. A CPAP machine works to regulate a person’s breathing while they are asleep. This machine includes air filters, a humidifier, a mask, and CPAP tubing. The machine pulls in air from the room, filters it, pressurizes it, and delivers it to the person via a mask. The CPAP machine works because it gives the person air at a pressure that will prevent the airway from closing during sleep. A medical professional will test someone that has been diagnosed with sleep apnea to determine the pressure they need their CPAP machine to be at to help treat their condition. Using a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea is common. However, CPAP machines do need some maintenance. The parts of a CPAP machine require regular replacement, and a CPAP machine has to be cleaned routinely. Why does a CPAP machine have to be cleaned regularly? A CPAP machine can collect germs and bacteria after nightly use. If regular cleaning it is not performed, it can actually make someone sick. Cleaning your CPAP machine is essential to your health, but it can be time-consuming if you don’t have a CPAP cleaning device. VirtuCLEAN is a CPAP cleaning device that can clean your CPAP machine for you without any hassle. Click here if you would like to learn more about how the VirtuCLEAN CPAP machine can help you.