Can Sleep Apnea Really Affect a Patient's Metabolism?
Risk factors
The previously mentioned symptoms might not always indicate sleep apnea, but they pose a significant amount of risk. Other risk factors include:
- Gender (Although men are 3 times more likely to have sleep apnea, this could also mean that women are underdiagnosed.)
- Family History (Genetics might play a role but not always.)
- Menopause
- Weight gain
- Age (People who range from 40 to 70 years of age are at higher risk.)
- Chronic sinus congestion
Furthermore, these risks are accompanied by depression, high blood pressure, and anxiety. So if a person is also taking a sedative at night, then that might relate to the development of sleep apnea. Also, persistent habits of drinking and smoking tend to play a role in sleep apnea—one for its effects of sedation and the other for its impact on the lungs and breathing.
Again, these risks would correlate with the difficulty of weight loss and management, but they do not help much in regard to one’s quality of sleep, which has an even more profound impact on the metabolism.
