Unconscious While Sleeping... Ignoring This Symptom Could Lead to Death During Sleep

Impact on Cerebral Blood Vessels Doubles Stroke Risk
Causes Neurocognitive Impairment, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Dysfunction
Weight Control, Smoking Cessation, and Alcohol Abstinence Help Alleviate Symptoms

If you feel tired despite having slept for a long time, or if you have ever woken up with a 'gasp' sound during sleep, you may suspect symptoms of sleep apnea. If sleep apnea persists for a long time, it can lead to chronic fatigue and more than double the risk of stroke.

According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of sleep apnea patients in South Korea increased to 113,224 in 2022, more than double the 45,067 patients in 2018. Sleep apnea refers to a condition where the upper airway is completely blocked during sleep, preventing breathing. When we breathe while sleeping, air enters through the nose and passes through the upper airway behind the palate into the lungs.

Professor Kim Sun-young of Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital recently warned on KBS Radio's "Jeon Jong-cheol's Jeonggyeok Sisa" that neglecting sleep apnea can lead to dangerous conditions, including death during sleep. Additionally, a team led by Professor Nilay Ba? ?kizo?lu from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine in Turkey stated that untreated sleep apnea can cause neurocognitive impairment, cardiovascular, and metabolic dysfunction.

Professor Kim explained, "If breathing stops for more than 10 seconds about 15 times per hour, it is classified as 'moderate sleep apnea,'" and warned that neglecting sleep apnea increases the risk. He added, "When breathing is difficult during sleep, it becomes hard to enter deep sleep, and the normal drop in blood pressure disappears, increasing the risk of hypertension."

He continued, "Frequent awakenings and sympathetic nervous system activation caused by sleep apnea can lead to arrhythmia and diabetes," emphasizing, "It also affects cerebral blood vessels, doubling the risk of stroke. Death during sleep is possible. Accurate diagnosis is essential."

Regarding sleep quality, Professor Kim said, "There should be periodic cycles from light sleep to REM sleep (which involves emotional processing through dreams and memory consolidation)." He explained, "If breathing is impaired, hypoxia occurs, and frequent awakenings happen as the body tries to arouse itself from sleep. This eventually leads to chronic sleep deprivation."

Sleep apnea is rarely genetic, and in most cases, the exact cause is unknown. This is why it is important to visit a specialist for accurate testing.

Experts explain that obesity can cause fat accumulation around the neck, or enlargement of the tongue and tonsils, which reduces the space inside the throat, narrowing the upper airway and causing snoring and sleep apnea. They also agree that weight control to avoid obesity, as well as abstaining from alcohol and smoking, are important to prevent sleep apnea.

Treatment methods for sleep apnea include using a positive airway pressure device to alleviate symptoms without surgery, as well as surgical options such as pharyngeal surgery, nasal surgery, and tongue base reduction surgery.