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therewith. /American Sleep Apnea Association ) - The oxygen
starvation experienced by patients who suffer from obstructive
sleep apnea (OSA) may lead to other severe diseases, like Type 2
diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Several studies
indicate that the fragmented sleep and intermittent hypoxia --
bouts of oxygen starvation -- typical of OSA are associated with
the development of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. As the
research stacks up, the results are unsettling but informative.
According to Dr. Naresh Punjabi, a professor at Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., 70 to 80
percent of Type 2 diabetes patients also have OSA. Even more
recently, board certified sleep specialist Dr. Domingo
Rodriguez-Cue reported that intermittent hypoxia can initiate a
cellular process known as "mitochondrial