What happens when sleep apnea goes untreated?
If you stopped your sleep apnea treatment—or never started at all—there’s still a conversation worth having.
What is obstructive sleep apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common form of sleep apnea. It happens when your upper airway narrows or closes repeatedly while you sleep. Your breathing slows or stops, which can lower your blood oxygen levels and disrupt your sleep.
“Every night sleep apnea goes untreated, oxygen dips again and again, adding to the impact on your heart and body” — Dr. Cheri Mah
When your airway closes during sleep, your blood oxygen level drops. This can happen dozens to hundreds of times each night, and the impact on your heart and blood vessels can build over years. This can affect your heart, energy, memory, and more—even if you haven't noticed it. We call this "oxygen debt." It's not a medical term or diagnosis, but it is a way to picture what happens when obstructive sleep apnea is left untreated.
Dr. Cheri D. Mah Sleep physician and performance specialist
Sleep apnea symptoms
Have sleep apnea symptoms become your new normal?
For a lot of people, the afternoon slump and the morning headache slowly stop feeling like symptoms and start feeling like life. Here’s a simple question: when did you last wake up feeling rested? If you have to think about it, that’s worth mentioning at your next appointment.
Daytime sleepiness
Trouble concentrating
Morning headache
Snoring or gasping
Getting used to these symptoms doesn’t mean your body has. And they’re only part of what untreated sleep apnea can affect over time.
Thousands surveyed about the realities of untreated sleep apnea
The Untreated OSA Initiative, a partnership with Project Sleep and the Alliance of Sleep Apnea Partners (ASAP), was an online survey of 2505 people from July 28 to August 18, 2026. It was designed to understand the lived experience of people diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea who aren't actively treating it, as well as their bed partners and the healthcare providers who diagnose and treat it.
1000 adults diagnosed with OSA who aren't currently treating it
500 adults diagnosed with OSA who are currently in treatment
500 bed partners of adults with untreated OSA
505 healthcare professionals who regularly diagnose and/or treat OSA
Responses are self-reported and subject to recall and response bias. Patients self-identified as being diagnosed with OSA.
Hear from the sleep apnea experts
Watch the Stranded with Sleep Apnea podcast trailer
Get a first look at the Stranded with Sleep Apnea podcast as Dr. Cheri Mah brings together sleep experts and patient advocates to talk about what it actually feels like to live with sleep apnea, and why it's worth talking about.
Read video transcript
Stranded With Sleep Apnea — KOL Podcast Trailer (30 sec) — Transcript
Featuring Emma Cooksey, Dr. Reena Mehra, Dr. Chris Allen, Dr. Alison Kole and Dr. Neomi Shah, with host Dr. Cheri Mah.
Emma Cooksey: …fell asleep at the wheel with my baby in the car.
[Lower third: Emma Cooksey | Sleep Apnea Patient, Project Sleep Advocate and Podcast Host]
[On-screen text: fell asleep at the wheel with my baby in the car]
Dr. Reena Mehra: …you just become calibrated to that way of living.
[Lower third: Dr. Reena Mehra, MD, MS | Professor and Head of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington]
[On-screen text: you just become calibrated to that way of living]
Dr. Cheri Mah: [Host segment, approx. 0:08–0:14 — spoken audio, no on-screen caption; wording to be confirmed from audio.]
[Lower third: Dr. Cheri D. Mah, MD | Sleep Physician and Performance Specialist, and Podcast Host of Stranded with Sleep Apnea]
Dr. Chris Allen: …you still feel the effects of it.
[Lower third: Dr. Chris Allen, MD | Sleep Specialist and Pediatric Neurologist]
[On-screen text: you still feel the effects of it]
Dr. Cheri Mah: [Host segment, approx. 0:20–0:22 — spoken audio, no on-screen caption or lower third; wording to be confirmed from audio.]
Dr. Alison Kole: It’s a true medical disorder that carries with it serious implications.
[Lower third: Dr. Alison Kole, MD, MPH, FFCP, FAASM | Sleep Specialist and Pediatric Neurologist, Oak Health Sleep Program]
[On-screen text: It’s a true medical disorder that carries with it serious implications]
Dr. Neomi Shah: Don’t make sleep the first thing you sacrifice.
[Lower third: Dr. Neomi Shah, MD, MPH, MSc | Professor of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai]
[On-screen text: Don’t make sleep the first thing you sacrifice]
[End card: Follow @StrandedWithSleepApnea to catch every new episode as it’s released. StrandedWithSleepApnea.com. Social media icons: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok.]
[End matter: MED-US-NP-2600029]
For bed partners
Does your partner have sleep apnea?
You hear what they cannot: the snoring, the pauses, the gasp that wakes you up. Those nights can take something out of you too. Here is how to say what you’ve noticed, in a way that sounds like support.
Prep for your visit
Bring the everyday impact into the conversation
Have your plans, patience, or energy changed? What would you want your doctor to understand about your day? Bring your own experience into the conversation about sleep apnea.
of adults surveyed with untreated sleep apnea said it affects having enough energy to get through the day.
Patients were asked how much sleep apnea impacts their daily energy. These results include those who responded "some," "significant," or "severe impact." Sample size ranged from 682 to 996 and excluded any respondents who answered "N/A."
Stay informed
Get instant download access and ongoing updates starting today
Our free guides and survey highlights can help you better understand sleep apnea and prepare for conversations about care. Email updates will keep you in the loop with new resources, expert videos, and emerging insights as they become available.
References
- Balk EM, Adam GP, Cao W, et al. Long-Term Health Outcomes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review of Comparative Studies Evaluating Positive Airway Pressure and the Validity of Breathing Measures as Surrogate Outcomes. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2022.
- Jordan AS, McSharry DG, Malhotra A. Adult obstructive sleep apnoea. Lancet. 2014;383(9918):736-747. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60734-5
- Apnimed, Inc., Untreated OSA Initiative Final Survey. August 2026.
- Epstein LJ, Kristo D, Strollo PJ Jr, et al. Clinical guideline for the evaluation, management and long-term care of obstructive sleep apnea in adults. J Clin Sleep Med. 2009;5(3):263-276.
Last Updated on October 2026. Medically reviewed and approved by Apnimed.