If you’ve been managing COPD and still feel exhausted or short of breath—especially at night—there might be something else going on beneath the surface.
There’s a condition called Overlap Syndrome, where COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) happen at the same time. And while each condition is serious on its own, together they’re more dangerous than most people realize.
When both conditions exist:
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You’re more likely to experience dangerously low oxygen levels at night
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You may have more frequent COPD flare-ups
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And there’s a higher risk of heart disease and early death
Here’s the tricky part: many people—and even doctors—don’t realize these two conditions can silently feed off each other.
You might be treating your COPD just fine during the day… but if your oxygen is crashing at night because of undiagnosed sleep apnea, your lungs—and your heart—are never getting the rest they need.
Curious why sleep apnea in women is even more likely to go unnoticed?
Check out this article I wrote about gender bias in diagnosis.