What does sleep have to do with type 2 diabetes? A whole lot, according to one study. Published in the journal Endocrine Practice, the study found that more than one-third of patients with type 2 diabetes also suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
OSA is a common sleep disorder that causes a person to repeatedly stop breathing during sleep due to a collapsed airway. It’s also linked to a number of long-term health risks that can impact type 2 diabetes, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension and obesity.
The good news is that OSA is easily diagnosed through an overnight stay in a sleep lab, according to James Herdegen, M.D., director for Sleep and Ventilatory Disorders at the University of Illinois in Chicago. The most common treatment, he says, is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, in which a machine sends air through a mask as a person sleeps, which keeps the airway from collapsing. Studies have demonstrated that type 2 diabetics who also suffer from OSA can dramatically reduce their glucose levels by using CPAP treatment.
To learn more about OSA and its symptoms, or to locate a sleep lab near you, visit www.sleepapneainfo.com.
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