How Long Can You Live With Treated Sleep Apnea?

How Long Can You Live With Treated Sleep Apnea? You can live a normal, healthy life.

Studies show that mortality rates are generally the same as someone without sleep apnea. This is fantastic news if you have sleep apnea and are currently being treated.

Though sadly, the opposite is not true. More on that later. For now, lets focus on the question at-hand.

I’m Aaron, a sleep expert here at Snooze EZ. Let’s dive in and see why you can live just as long with sleep apnea compared to someone who doesn’t.

Life Expectancy With Treated Sleep Apnea

The most common way to treat sleep apnea is by CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure).

Assuming you are treated using this method, we will have a rundown of one of the longest, and most beneficial, studies completed in sleep disorders.

A Study for the Decades

Dr. Quentin Lisan conducted a study that started in the 1990’s. The focus was on 392 participants that were 40 and older. Most of the participants were men with obstructive sleep apnea, that were also, obese.

81 of the participants used continuous CPAP treatment for over 11 years. The other 311 did not. This study continued for over two decades. Only 5 people (7%) of the people who used treatment died over that time.

Those were later deemed for normal causes and not sleep apnea related.

Out of the 311 who did not use or continue to practice treatment, 62 (20%) died as a direct result of sleep apnea (heart attack and stroke are the most common reasons).

Overall, this study showed that CPAP users cut their odds of dying by 62%!  This is just one study, but there have been more with similar results.

Overall Lifespan Answer

After taking data from many studies, the National Library of Medicine states “Subsequently, it appears that nasal continuous positive airway pressure corrects for the risk of premature death suspected in obstructive sleep apnea patients.

Mortality in obstructive sleep apnea patients treated with continuous positive airway pressure is near to that of the general population, particularly when patients with an associated chronic respiratory disease are excluded.

This means, in short, you are going to live and die just like everyone else if you are treated for sleep apnea.

Life Expectancy With Untreated Sleep Apnea

Now the sad news. If you choose to take your chances, whether it be you don’t like wearing a CPAP mask or just don’t feel like getting tested, your life expectancy will definitely be shorter.

Studies have shown you are 3 times more likely to die sooner as a result of untreated sleep apnea; 10-15 years sooner to be exact!

You are increasing your odds by 30% of having a heart attack or dying within the first 5 years. Enough of the bad news. You can read more about how you can die of sleep apnea another time.

Conclusion

If you have sleep apnea, hopefully you can be at ease that you are not going to die any sooner than anyone else as long as you are being treated.

Otherwise, if you choose to keep on snoring, randomly breathing, feeling tired, and having other associated health risks, the outcome is not good.

Getting treatment is important to live a long, healthy, normal life. If you are worried you have sleep apnea, talk with your doctor and they can refer you for a sleep test.