The Health Risks of Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea

Loud, disruptive snoring could be (but isn’t always) a sign of sleep apnea, a common condition in which breathing may stop and start many times throughout the night.

You may be aware that sleep apnea can disrupt your sleep and cause fatigue, but did you know that it can also impact your heart, your brain – even your sex drive?

In today’s episode, we discuss the health risks of undiagnosed sleep apnea and why, if you’re having trouble sleeping or staying awake during the day, if you’re experiencing morning headaches, mood changes or difficulty focusing, you should consider getting a sleep test.

Featuring:
Dr. Douglas Bradley - Director of UHN’s Centre for Sleep Health and Research, at Toronto General Hospital.
Dr. Frances Chung - Anesthesiologist and Clinician Investigator with UHN’s Krembil Brain Institute; Inventor of the STOP-Bang Questionnaire, a new screening tool for sleep apnea that’s being used around the world. 
Carmen Chu – Fundraising professional and cancer survivor, who was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Additional resources:
UHN’s Centre for Sleep Health and Research
Dr. Frances Chung named UHN Inventor of the Year
Dr. Douglas Bradley featured in KITE Research spotlight: Use of non-invasive breathing device to alleviate obstructive and central sleep apnea improves quality of life 

The Your Complex Brain production team is Heather Sherman, Jessica Schmidt, Dr. Amy Ma, Kim Perry, Alley Wilson, Sara Yuan, Meagan Anderi, Liz Chapman, and Lorna Gilfedder.

The Krembil Brain Institute, part of University Health Network, in Toronto, is home to one of the world's largest and most comprehensive teams of physicians and scientists uniquely working hand-in-hand to prevent and confront problems of the brain and spine, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, brain cancer or concussion, in their lifetime. Through state-of-the-art patient care and advanced research, we are working relentlessly toward finding new treatments and cures.

Do you want to know more about the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN? Visit us at: uhn.ca/krembil

To get in touch, email us at [e-mail] or message us on social media:
Instagram - @krembilresearch
Twitter - @KBI_UHN
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KrembilBrainInstitute

Thanks for listening!