Yes, You Can Die From Sleep Apnea

Can You Die From Sleep Apnea?

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Sleep apnea refers to several sleep disorders in which people have reduced or paused breathing during sleep. These repeated breathing disruptions can reduce sleep quality and contribute to serious health complications. Although treatment often resolves health risks tied to sleep apnea, if left unaddressed sleep apnea can be a life-threatening problem.

Learning about sleep apnea, as well as its potential effects on health and the benefits of treatment, can help people with sleep apnea understand this sleep disorder and how to work with their doctor to treat it most effectively.

Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea Linked to a Higher Risk of Death?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea and affects between 10% and 30% Trusted Source UpToDate More than 2 million healthcare providers around the world choose UpToDate to help make appropriate care decisions and drive better health outcomes. UpToDate delivers evidence-based clinical decision support that is clear, actionable, and rich with real-world insights. See Full Reference of American adults. Multiple research studies have shown that people with OSA have a higher risk of all-cause mortality, which means that they are more likely to die of any cause when compared to people who do not have OSA. Untreated OSA has also been linked to an increased risk of death Trusted Source UpToDate More than 2 million healthcare providers around the world choose UpToDate to help make appropriate care decisions and drive better health outcomes. UpToDate delivers evidence-based clinical decision support that is clear, actionable, and rich with real-world insights. See Full Reference from cardiovascular problems.

Research suggests that the risk of mortality in people with sleep apnea may be linked to the severity of their breathing disruptions. Doctors classify the severity of OSA based on a person’s symptoms and their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which is calculated based on the number of breathing disruptions that occur during sleep. The risk of all-cause mortality has been found to be higher in people with more severe OSA Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. See Full Reference .

Complications From Untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway becomes blocked by tissues in the mouth and throat. Obstructions to breathing can negatively affect health by influencing a person’s risk of several complications.

• Accidents: People with OSA get lower quality sleep, leading to daytime sleepiness and lack of concentration that makes them prone to accidents. Drowsy driving is more common in people with OSA, which can make potentially fatal car crashes more likely.
• Cardiovascular disease: The effects of OSA on the body are often seen in the cardiovascular system. For example, people with untreated OSA have been found to be more likely to have an abnormal heart rate, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, heart disease, and pulmonary hypertension.
• Type 2 diabetes: OSA can disrupt how the body manages blood sugar levels, raising the risk of type 2 diabetes, a condition that can cause a wide range of further health problems.
• Problems after surgery: People with OSA are more likely to have unintended postoperative side effects, including complications that can be life-threatening.
• Liver disease: Rates of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are as many as three times as high in people with OSA. While not always linked to complications Trusted SourceMedline Plus MedlinePlus is an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends. See Full Reference , this condition can cause liver damage, liver cancer, and ultimately liver failure.

Can You Die in Your Sleep From Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Although uncommon, it is possible to die during sleep from untreated obstructive sleep apnea. Observational research has found that OSA increases a person’s risk of sudden death. This risk is believed to be higher in people of older age, in people with a critical illness, and in people with severe OSA.

Most of the time pauses in breathing from obstructive sleep apnea are just temporary. When changes in respiration cause oxygen levels to drop, a person partially awakens in order to restore breathing. However, there are rare reports of people dying because of an inability to properly reinitiate breathing.

When OSA is not treated, it can also interfere with the normal functions of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. This may provoke abnormalities in a person’s heart rhythms and other problems that can cause sudden cardiac death.

Can Treatment Reduce Complications of Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Treatment can often eliminate or decrease the disruptions to breathing and sleep that are associated with obstructive sleep apnea. As a result, people who are effectively treated for OSA can avoid the heightened risk of complications and death linked to untreated OSA.

As an initial treatment of OSA, doctors often prescribed the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. A CPAP device sends pressurized air through a hose and mask to keep the upper airway open during sleep.

A study involving over 88,000 people Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. See Full Reference compared health outcomes in people with OSA who started and continued using a CPAP machine versus people who started with a CPAP device but then stopped using it. Ongoing use of the CPAP device was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of all-cause mortality.

In the same study, the benefits of CPAP therapy were seen at follow-up after one year and after three years. Other research over a period of up to seven years also found a lower risk of death in people with OSA who regularly used a CPAP machine.

In order to effectively treat OSA with CPAP therapy, it is important to use the CPAP regularly. In general, this means wearing the CPAP for at least four hours per night on five or more nights of the week. Doctors and sleep specialists can work with people having difficulties tolerating CPAP by modifying the settings and accessories for CPAP therapy.

Central Sleep Apnea and the Risk of Death

Central sleep apnea (CSA) is much less common than OSA, and there are fewer studies about its effect on the risk of death. CSA involves an inability of the brain and respiratory muscles to properly regulate breathing and is frequently linked to underlying health problems Trusted Source UpToDate More than 2 million healthcare providers around the world choose UpToDate to help make appropriate care decisions and drive better health outcomes. UpToDate delivers evidence-based clinical decision support that is clear, actionable, and rich with real-world insights. See Full Reference , such as heart failure, that may affect a person’s expected lifespan.

In people with heart failure, having severe CSA has been linked to a higher risk of death Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. See Full Reference . The risk of sudden death may be higher in people with severe CSA and heart failure because of the way that CSA can interfere with cardiovascular function.

For some people, treating the underlying cause of CSA can reduce or resolve breathing problems during sleep. Reestablishing normal breathing patterns may help enhance sleep quality and reduce other symptoms and complications of CSA.

Signs You May Have Sleep Apnea

Recognizing the signs of sleep apnea can help people know when to contact their doctor. Some of the most common signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness, including falling asleep during times when it is normal to be awake
• Frequent snoring that is very loud
• Irregular breathing, including gasping or choking, during sleep
• Morning headaches
• Waking up with a sore throat or dry mouth
• Struggling with concentration or memory during the day
• Feeling unrefreshed despite sleeping for seven hours or more

Symptoms like snoring and restless sleep occur while a person is asleep, so people with sleep apnea may not be aware of their nighttime breathing issues. They may only learn of a potential problem when a bed partner, roommate, or family member tells them.

It is important to remember that it is not possible to diagnose sleep apnea based only on a person’s symptoms. Symptoms of sleep apnea can also be caused by other health issues, so diagnostic testing is required to determine if a person’s symptoms are caused by sleep apnea.

When to Seek Medical Advice

People with symptoms of sleep apnea, such as loud snoring, gasping during sleep, or excessive daytime sleepiness, should talk with their primary care doctor. The doctor can review their symptoms, sleep patterns, and overall health and recommend testing with a sleep study if necessary.

People who have already been diagnosed with sleep apnea should talk with their doctor or a sleep specialist if they have problems sticking with their treatment, have unwanted side effects of treatment, or find that treatment is not reducing their symptoms.

While untreated sleep apnea is associated with potentially life-threatening complications, working with a medical professional and closely following treatment recommendations can resolve many of these health risks.

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Yes, You Can Die From Sleep Apnea

Laura Dorwart is a health journalist with expertise in disability rights, mental health, and pregnancy-related conditions. She has written for publications like SELF, The New York Times, VICE, and The Guardian.

Published on March 12, 2022

Keri Peterson, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and has her own private practice on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She holds appointments at Lenox Hill Hospital and Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents

Sleep apnea is a medical condition that causes someone to stop breathing intermittently while they sleep. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), in which the soft tissue in the back of the throat relaxes and blocks airflow.

If left untreated, sleep apnea can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially fatal health complications, such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Research suggests that over 38,000 people die in the U.S. each year from heart disease complicated by sleep apnea.

Read on to learn more about sleep apnea, including symptoms, causes, complications, diagnosis, and treatment.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a medical condition that causes intermittent breathing disruptions during sleep. These interruptions occur frequently throughout the night and often last 10 seconds or more.

There are several types of sleep apnea, including:

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Central sleep apnea
• Complex sleep apnea

How Common Is Sleep Apnea?

The American Sleep Apnea Association estimates that around 22 million Americans have sleep apnea. Many people with the condition don’t know they have it.

Symptoms

Many people with sleep apnea aren’t aware of any interruptions in their sleep during the night. Instead, the first symptom many people notice is excessive daytime sleepiness. In addition to daytime fatigue, the symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Loud, frequent snoring
• Gasping during the night
• Restless sleep
• Difficulties with concentration
• Irritability
• Morning headaches
• Falling asleep during the day
• Sexual dysfunction
• Anxiety
• Depression

Causes

Men and people over 60 are more at risk of developing sleep apnea. Other risk factors for sleep apnea include:

• Obesity
• Large neck circumference
• Family history of sleep apnea
• Small airways
• Enlarged tonsils, especially in children
• Use of sedatives, alcohol, or tranquilizers before bedtime
• Smoking
• Being post-menopausal
• Certain hormone-related conditions, such as hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) and acromegaly (excessive growth hormone)
• Certain facial features, such as a small lower jaw

Can You Die From Sleep Apnea?

Untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious, potentially life-threatening health conditions, including:

• Coronary heart disease (the arteries supplying the heart muscle are narrowed or blocked)
• Stroke (a blood vessel blockage or bleed in the brain)
• Diabetes (inability to control blood sugar adequately)
• Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs, or “mini-strokes”)
• Heart failure (the heart cannot pump enough blood for the body’s needs)
• Cardiac arrest (the heart stops beating)

Sleep apnea decreases the overall quality of sleep and restricts oxygen flow. This puts the body in a constant state of stress, which can negatively affect the heart and other organs.

A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis found that OSA was linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease-related deaths and sudden death for any reason. People with severe OSA were more at risk of heart disease and death than people with mild or moderate OSA.

Other research has tied sleep apnea to elevated blood sugar levels, treatment-resistant hypertension (high blood pressure), and recurring atrial fibrillation (irregular or fast heartbeat).

Excessive daytime sleepiness may also put people with sleep apnea at risk for fatal accidents, such as falling asleep while driving or operating machinery.

Diagnosis

The only definitive way to get diagnosed with sleep apnea is through a sleep study, also called polysomnography .

After talking to your healthcare provider about your symptoms, they will likely refer you to a sleep specialist.

An overnight sleep study may be conducted at a sleep lab or, if medically necessary, at home. During a sleep study, you’ll be provided with a comfortable place to rest for around six hours. The following information will be recorded as you sleep:

• Brain waves (through an electroencephalogram, or EEG)
• Eye and chin movements (through an electrooculogram, or EOG)
• Heart rate and rhythm (through an echocardiogram, or ECG)
• Oxygen and carbon dioxide levels
• Leg movements
• Breathing rate

Most importantly, the test will determine your apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). This number refers to the breathing interruptions you experience per hour while you sleep. An AHI of 5 to 15 is classified as mild, while 15 to 30 is moderate. Someone who experiences 30 or more interruptions per hour has severe sleep apnea.

Ask Your Healthcare Provider

If you have a history of certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, stroke, or heart disease, you should ask your healthcare provider about getting tested for sleep apnea.

Treatment

The most common treatment for sleep apnea is positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. In PAP therapy, you’ll place a mask over your nose (or nose and mouth) as you sleep. The mask eliminates apneas by blowing pressurized air into the lungs.

PAP devices can help people with sleep apnea get more sleep, improve their sleep quality, and reduce the risk of serious medical complications (such as high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack).

If you are prescribed PAP therapy, you’ll be fitted for a mask to ensure that it fits comfortably and provides the right amount of air pressure. There are several different kinds of PAP devices, including:

• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP): CPAP devices are the most common PAP devices, especially for people with OSA, and often the least expensive. A CPAP machine will deliver the same amount of air pressure as you inhale and exhale.
• Bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP): BiPAP devices deliver higher-air pressure during inhalation than exhalation. They are often prescribed to people who have CSA or struggle to tolerate CPAP machines.
• Automatic positive airway pressure (APAP): APAP devices have high-pressure and low-pressure settings. They are often used for patients with seasonal allergies or excess congestion.

Different PAP devices may also include features like:

• Humidification, which adds moisture to the inhaled air
• Ramping, which starts at a low-pressure level and “ramps up” during the night
• Pressure relief, which lowers the pressure at the beginning of an exhale

For people who can’t tolerate CPAP therapy, oral appliances or surgery (such as soft palate surgery) may be needed.

Keeping Up With PAP Therapy

PAP therapy for sleep apnea is generally safe and effective. However, 46% to 83% of people diagnosed with sleep apnea do not use their PAP device as prescribed. Using your device according to your healthcare provider’s instructions can help you reduce your risk of many sleep apnea-related health complications.

Prevention

There are several lifestyle changes you can make to help prevent sleep apnea, including:

• Sleeping in a different position, such as on your side
• Losing weight
• Getting help to quit smoking
• Not drinking alcohol before sleep
• Not taking sedatives unless prescribed

In cases of mild OSA, these changes may be all you need. In more severe cases, however, you will likely need treatment with a CPAP device.

When to See a Doctor

If you’re experiencing any of the following signs or symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about the possibility of sleep apnea.

• Daytime sleepiness
• Snoring
• Unexplained fatigue
• Morning headaches
• Never feeling rested, even after a full night of sleep
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Waking throughout the night, especially with a choking sensation
• Difficulty concentrating
• Falling asleep while driving, watching TV, or reading

Summary

Sleep apnea is a common medical condition that causes intermittent disruptions in breathing during sleep. Risk factors for sleep apnea include being overweight, being male, being over 60, and having a family history of snoring or sleep apnea, among others.

Untreated sleep apnea can increase the risk of many potentially fatal medical complications, such as stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and deadly accidents.

After being diagnosed through a sleep study, people with sleep apnea can be treated using positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. It’s sometimes possible to prevent sleep apnea with lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or quitting smoking, as well as changing sleep positions.

A Word From Verywell

While there’s no cure for sleep apnea, it is treatable. Talk to your healthcare provider about getting diagnosed with sleep apnea so you can start therapy and get a more refreshing night of rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

How low can your oxygen level go before you die?

A healthy blood oxygen level is usually 95% or higher. A blood oxygen level of 92% or lower is concerning and may require supplemental oxygen. At 88%, you should seek immediate medical attention. A level of 70% and lower may be life-threatening.

Is sleep apnea curable?

Sleep apnea is not curable. However, it can be treated with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, can also help to ease symptoms and restore restful sleep.

What does sleep apnea sound like?

Sleep apnea causes disruptions in breathing that last for 10 seconds or more. This often causes a pause in breathing during sleep, followed by loud gasping or choking sounds. Many people with sleep apnea also snore loudly and frequently.

What would happen if you let sleep apnea go untreated?

Uncontrolled sleep apnea can lead to a number of potential health complications. These may include stroke, heart disease, heart attack, diabetes, and sudden death. Excessive daytime sleepiness from sleep apnea can also lead to fatal accidents, such as car crashes, and negatively affect performance at work or school.

14 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Sleep apnea information page.
2. Johns Hopkins Medicine. The dangers of uncontrolled sleep apnea.
3. American Sleep Apnea Association. Yes, you can die from sleep apnea. Carrie Fisher did.
4. American Sleep Apnea Association. Sleep apnea information for clinicians.
5. Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine. Risk factors.
6. MedlinePlus. Sleep apnea.
7. Heilbrunn ES, Ssentongo P, Chinchilli VM, Oh J, Ssentongo AE. Sudden death in individuals with obstructive sleep apnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2021;8(1):e000656. doi:10.1136/bmjresp-2020-000656
8. National Library of Medicine. Sleep study.
9. American Sleep Apnea Association. Getting a sleep apnea diagnosis.
10. Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine. Understanding PAP.
11. Sleep Foundation. How to talk to your doctor about your sleep.
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13. Minnesota Department of Health. Oxygen levels, pulse oximeters, and COVID-19.
14. American Sleep Apnea Association. What is sleep apnea?

By Laura Dorwart
Laura Dorwart is a health journalist with particular interests in mental health, pregnancy-related conditions, and disability rights. She has published work in VICE, SELF, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Week, HuffPost, BuzzFeed Reader, Catapult, Pacific Standard, Health.com, Insider, Forbes.com, TalkPoverty, and many other outlets.