Vivos Calls Out Medical Blind Spot: OSA's Overlooked Dangerous Symptoms

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Aug 07, 2025, 08:03 ET

Night sweats, teeth grinding, and erectile dysfunction. These might seem like minor or unrelated quirks, but they can all be symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a silent health crisis affecting over 1 billion people worldwide. Vivos Therapeutics is at the forefront of addressing this issue, helping clinicians identify these "hidden signs" early and provide innovative, non-invasive treatments.

LITTLETON, Colo., Aug. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Millions of people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) remain undiagnosed, with disruptive symptoms such as night sweats, teeth grinding, resistant hypertension, and even erectile dysfunction often dismissed or misattributed. ^(1,2) But the truth is, these seemingly unrelated signs are SOS signals from a distressed body, begging for intervention. "Connecting the dots could change your life," says Kirk Huntsman, Chairman and CEO of Vivos Therapeutics, a leading innovator in breathing and sleep health.

Recognizing the urgent need for awareness, Vivos is equipping healthcare providers to detect and treat the often overlooked signs of sleep apnea. By uncovering these hidden warning signs, they highlight the profound impact of sleep apnea on both physical and mental health. "OSA is more than just snoring—it's a full-body condition with systemic consequences," says Huntsman.

Breaking Down the Hidden Signs of OSA

OSA is often misunderstood and widely underdiagnosed. Its symptoms are not always obvious and can sometimes appear unrelated, leading to confusion for both patients and healthcare practitioners. Many people suffer for years without realizing that their seemingly disconnected health issues are actually tied to OSA. Here is a closer look at some of these hidden signs and the impact they have:

Hypertension: 80 percent of those with resistant hypertension—high blood pressure that doesn't respond well to treatment—have undiagnosed OSA. ⁽³⁾ Untreated OSA can worsen blood pressure control over time, increasing risk of serious complications like heart attacks or strokes.
Erectile Dysfunction (ED): OSA may affect as many as 80 percent of men dealing with ED.⁽⁴⁾The condition interrupts healthy blood flow and worsens systemic inflammation, two factors crucial for sexual health. Left untreated, OSA can significantly impact both physical and emotional well-being.
Heartburn & Acid Reflux: 78 percent of OSA patients experience nighttime acid reflux. ⁽⁵⁾This occurs because the airway struggles during sleep can create negative pressure that literally pulls stomach acid into the esophagus. Chronic acid reflux can lead to further complications like esophageal damage.
Night Sweats: 33 percent of people with OSA suffer from frequent night sweats.⁽⁶⁾ These episodes are triggered by the body's fight-or-flight response to oxygen scarcity during apneas (pauses in breathing). This reaction is three times more common in OSA patients than in the general population.
Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): 50 percent of adults with OSA experience sleep bruxism.⁽⁷⁾ This grinding of teeth occurs as a reflexive response, where the body tenses jaw muscles to reopen a collapsed airway during sleep. Over time, this can lead to jaw pain, worn teeth, and even temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.

"These symptoms present a major lost opportunity for clinicians to catch OSA early," adds Huntsman. "This misdiagnosis is a growing public health challenge we are determined to overcome."

By recognizing and understanding these subtle signs, healthcare professionals can take a more proactive approach to diagnosing OSA, ultimately improving outcomes for countless individuals unknowingly living with this condition.

Vivos' Method: Turning Fragmented Symptoms Clear Diagnosis

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is too often mistaken for everything but what it is—the root cause remains hidden behind fragmented symptoms and outdated assumptions. These are not isolated problems; they are signs of a body under stress, suffocating in silence.

Vivos is reshaping the OSA conversation by training healthcare providers to recognize these overlooked indicators early and accurately. Through its Centers for Sleep and Airway Medicine, Vivos equips clinicians with the tools to identify misattributed symptoms and deliver lasting solutions. The Vivos Method—centered on its proprietary, FDA-cleared oral appliance technology—offers a non-surgical, patient-friendly approach that remodels the airway naturally and treats OSA in under 12 months.

This proactive model doesn't just manage symptoms—it helps prevent years of misdiagnosis and decline. With seamless access to sleep testing, board-certified telemedicine consults, and root-cause therapy, Vivos is helping patients reclaim their health long before traditional methods even begin asking the right questions.

"Uncovering the real cause behind these symptoms isn't just diagnostic—it's life-changing. That's the power of personalized care," notes Huntsman.

About VIVOS THERAPEUTICS

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects over 1 billion people worldwide, yet 90% remain undiagnosed and unaware of their condition. This chronic disorder is not just a sleep issue—it's closely linked to nearly every modern chronic health condition. While the medical community has made strides in treating sleep disorders, breathing and sleep health remain areas that are still not fully understood. As a result, solutions are often mechanistic and fail to address the root causes of OSA.

Vivos Therapeutics, founded in 2016 and based in Littleton, CO, is changing this. Through innovative technology, education, and partnerships with dentists, functional medicine doctors, and sleep specialists, Vivos is empowering healthcare providers to more thoroughly address the complex needs of patients. Their groundbreaking device is the only FDA 510(k) cleared technology for treating severe OSA and the first to receive clearance for treating moderate to severe OSA in children.

The Vivos Method offers a unique, clinically effective solution that is nonsurgical, noninvasive, and nonpharmaceutical, providing hope for patients with mild to severe OSA. Vivos: Breathe New Life. For more information, visit www.vivos.com.

References

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Peters, Brandon . "Surprising Signs and Symptoms of Untreated Sleep Apnea." Verywell Health, 7 Jan. 2025, verywellhealth.com/surprising-signs-of-sleep-apnea-3014829.
Kazuki Shiina. "Obstructive Sleep Apnea -Related Hypertension: A Review of the Literature and Clinical Management Strategy." Hypertension Research, 29 Aug. 2024, nature.com/articles/s41440-024-01852-y, doi.org/10.1038/s41440-024-01852-y.
Gu, Yiwei, et al. "Erectile Dysfunction and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Review." Front Psychiatry, vol. 13, 26 May 2022, doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.766639.
Kingshott, Ruth. "Study Finds That CPAP Therapy Reduces Acid Reflux in People with Sleep Apnea - American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers." American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 3 Oct. 2016, aasm.org/study-finds-that-cpap-therapy-reduces-acid-reflux-in-people-with-sleep-apnea/.
Arnardottir, Erna Sif, et al. "Nocturnal Sweating—a Common Symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: The Icelandic Sleep Apnoea Cohort." BMJ Open, vol. 3, no. 5, 2013, p. e002795, doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002795.
Li, Deshui, et al. "Sleep Bruxism Is Highly Prevalent in Adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Large-Scale Polysomnographic Study." Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, vol. 19, no. 3, Mar. 2023, pp. 443–451, doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.10348.