The connection between diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea is fairly well studies and undeniable. Regardless of whether the chicken or the egg comes first in this case – i.e., the root cause of the sleep apnea, diabetes, obesity connection – the point is that all they are linked in ways that negatively affect each other.
We generally think of sleep and sleep deprivation as a mental thing: you get sluggish, crabby, and foggy. If sleep deprivation only affected us mentally, it might be easier to get away with. Unfortunately, chronic sleep deprivation can be a silent killer because it can take a large toll on your physical health and performance, as well as mental and emotional health.
The common conception about athletic performance is that it’s a result of physical performance. While this is partly true, maintaining high quality athletic performance is a combination of physical and cognitive performance/health. Sports toll a great deal of mental and physical energy through movement and a very high degree of focus/concentration.