Is sleep apnea and diabetes related? In a word, yes. Or, at least, it seems so. Several studies have detected a strong link between type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea. In fact, it is suggested that anyone with one condition should be checked for both conditions when visiting their doctor. Cardiovascular disease and daytime sleepiness is certainly linked to sleep apnea. Now, studies show that proper treatment of sleep apnea reduces blood sugar levels, which is essential to diabetics. In addition, there has been a recommendation that doctors screen patients with diabetes if their blood pressure is routinely equal to or exceeding 135/80 whether they are taking medication for that condition or not. It is a universal goal to identify, catch and treat diabetes as early as possible. Many times people have type 2 diabetes for years before symptoms begin, so the earlier it is detected, the better. Left untreated, the high blood glucose levels that characterize the disease can lead to blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage and heart disease.
In a separate study, 593 patients were evaluated for sleep disordered breathing. Each patient spent a night in a sleep laboratory to undergo a sleep study, called polysomnography. The researchers followed these subjects for as long as six years and the results showed there is a relationship between sleep apnea and diabetes. The study found that patients diagnosed with sleep apnea had a greater risk of developing diabetes by more than two-and-half times vs. those without the nighttime breathing disorder. Then the patients were divided into groups based on the severity of their sleep apnea. Those with the most severe sleep apnea showed to have the greater risk of developing diabetes. This study has placed the medical community on alert. It is imperative that the relationship between diabetes and sleep apnea is better understood. More recent studies have shown that as many as 40% of those with sleep apnea have type 2 diabetes and more than half of those with type 2 diabetes have sleep apnea. Is sleep apnea and diabetes related? Studies show there is a connection.
As a result of these studies, people with one disease should certainly be aware that they are at risk for the other. Moreover, the things one should do to help maintain one condition is common to the other. An example is being overweight. In both cases, diabetes and sleep apnea, the loss of weight in overweight people helps both conditions. If you have not been diagnosed with either diabetes or sleep apnea and find yourself sleepy during the day, snore heavily at night, excessive urination and excessive thirst, you have some of the symptoms of each condition. You should see you doctor as soon as possible.
What you may not be aware of is this, with sleep apnea not only do you snore during the night, your upper airway narrows or closes and you stop breathing. This can happen hundreds of times during the night. The best treatment is a sleep study followed by what will likely be required, a CPAP. A CPAP is continuous positive airway pressure. In other words, you wear a mask over your nose or over your nose and mouth, which will force air into the airway keeping it open. It has not been determined if this treatment for sleep apnea benefits diabetes. It is not known exactly what the connection between sleep apnea and diabetes is, but the connection appears obvious. In answer to the question, is sleep apnea and diabetes related, the answer certainly appears to be, yes.
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