Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease: The Hidden Connection Your Doctor May Miss

KMA.n
Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease: The Hidden Connection Your Doctor May Miss
Do you wake up feeling exhausted despite a full night's sleep? Your heart health might be at risk. Sleep apnea heart disease connections remain dangerously underrecognized in clinical settings, despite affecting approximately 22 million Americans . This potentially life-threatening sleep disorder does more than just disrupt your rest. During episodes of sleep apnea , your breathing repeatedly stops and starts, depriving your body of oxygen and placing tremendous strain on your cardiovascular system. Surprisingly, up to 80% of moderate to severe cases remain undiagnosed , leaving millions unaware of their heightened risk for serious heart problems. Throughout this article, we'll explore how sleep apnea silently damages your heart, the biological mechanisms behind this damage, and most importantly, the treatment options that can protect both your sleep quality and cardiac health. Furthermore, we'll discuss why this critical connection is frequently overlooked in routine medical …