Obstructive Sleep Apnea: the deadly health menace. Obstructive sleep apnea kills hundreds of people every night in our country. The cause of death is usually listed as a heart attack or stroke, but make no mistake that the true killer is the drop in the body's oxygen level produced by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). And for all those killed, there are millions more who suffer a whole host of ailments due to obstructive sleep apnea. Sufferers of OSA have a 7-times higher chance of developing a stroke (this makes it even worse than smoking cigarettes). According to the leading medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, OSA is the leading cause of high blood pressure in the United States (but this information has not yet found its way into the medical text books). OSA can also lead to diabetes, open angle glaucoma, congestive heart failure, and gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Despite all the serious problems caused by OSA, there is good news: OSA can easily and effectively be treated. The results are dramatic and testimonials of the benefits can be found at the American Sleep Apnea Association web site.