Patient/caregiver were instructed regarding complications of poorly managed obstructive sleep apnea as follows:
Excessive fatigue:
- Poorly rested state with multiple awakenings through the night can leave the individual with sleep apnea extremely fatigued and drained, with poor daytime activity.
Daytime drowsiness:
- Lack of sleep during the night can lead to drowsiness and sleepy state during the day, as a compensatory measure. This poorly active during the daytime can compromise the individual’s job and academic performance.
Risk for falls & accidents:
- Lack of sleep during the night can lead to drowsiness and sleepy state during the day, as a compensatory measure.
- This reduced alert state during the daytime can lead to falls & accidents compromising the individual’s safety and security.
- Poorly rested state can impair an individual’s decision making capacity and compromise the attention span.
- Driving and discharging job duties in a sleepy state can result in road and workplace accidents, compromising safety for self and others around.
Strained personal/family relations:
- Snoring through the night can lead to disturbance of sleep to the partner, contributing to the partner’s poorly rested state and daytime fatigue.
- This can affect the partner’s job & academic performance too and thus, can strain personal/family relations.
- Listlessness and fatigue can also show on an individual’s sexual performance, contributing to worsening of relationship with the partner.
