As your choice for a sleep apnea doctor in Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, San Jose, and San Ramon, we at Spark Sleep Solutions want to make sure that you’re sleeping as well as you can. With our large selection of oral devices and CPAP alternatives, we’ll be able to help treat harmful conditions like sleep apnea. We’ve previously talked about the many risks of sleep apnea and all of the negative health conditions that it can cause, but we’d like to take the time to discuss its effects on another serious health disorder – anxiety.
The Connection Between Sleep Apnea and Anxiety
It’s not uncommon to see sleep apnea and anxiety linked together. In fact, anxiety is one of the most frequent problems associated with sleep disorders. If a person has one of them, the other often isn’t too far behind. But if they’re so connected, wouldn’t it make sense if one led to the other?
Well, sleep apnea rarely causes anxiety by itself; however, it’s much more common for sleep apnea to make a person’s anxiety become more severe. There are many issues that sleep apnea can cause that have the ability to exacerbate anxiety that’s already present. Just a few of the problems that sleep apnea can cause that can contribute to anxiety include:
- Nighttime Panic Attacks – Because sleep apnea blocks off the airway for a period of time, the body can end up being jolted awake as a result of it. This quick reaction can sometimes lead to a nighttime panic attack.
- Loss of Sleep – Sleep recharges the body and gives a person the ability to cope with stress. Unfortunately, sleep apnea will rob a person of this much needed sleep. This lack of sleep can lead to more stress placed on the body and brain, which can lead to increased anxiety.
- Loss of Concentration – The loss of sleep, which is the biggest symptom of sleep apnea, can create a number of additional problems. One of these is the loss of concentration. When a person finds it harder to concentrate, it’s harder to reach goals, it’s harder to be active, and it’s harder to be happy. All of these things can lead to a person’s anxiety heightening.
Contact Your Los Gatos, San Jose, San Ramon, and Santa Cruz Sleep Apnea Doctor!
If you’d like to schedule an appointment with your sleep apnea doctor for our sleep apnea treatments and CPAP alternatives, feel free to give us a call at (408) 490-0182. If you have any questions about sleep apnea and anxiety, please don’t hesitate to contact us online or by phone and let us know. We hope to hear from you soon and help you attain a better night’s sleep!