Like most serious sleep disorders, narcolepsy and sleep apnea can have some serious consequences, as this article explains. Consequences of Sleepiness Accidents . A large 1997 survey indicated that accidents involving motor vehicles or machine tools occurred twice as often in persons with moderate or severe daytime sleepiness, compared with those without daytime sleepiness. As many as 100,000 automobile accidents in the U.S. and 1,500 deaths from car accidents or from heavy machinery are caused by sleepiness. Two studies in 1997 and 1998 reported that people with sleep apnea have two to three times as many car accidents, and five to seven times the risk for multiple accidents.
Some researchers believe that sleep apnea is the greatest risk factor car accidents.
Outlook for People with Sleep Apnea Higher carbon dioxide and lower oxygen levels that occur at night from sleep apnea can trigger a cascade of physical and chemical events that may increase the risk for a number of diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, heart failure, diabetes, and kidney failure. Many studies have reported an association between these serious medical conditions and sleep apnea, but evidence of a causal relationship is still weak. A 1998 study, for example, found that heart attack patients with obstructive sleep apnea had no higher mortality rate than those without the sleep disorder. Although obesity is often a risk factor and possibly a cause of sleep apnea, the opposite may also be true. Research indicates that animals deprived of REM sleep tend to eat more.