Life threatening events are associated with sleep apnea, including a 2-3 times higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Gastric reflux, diabetes, and sleepiness, which might lead to auto accidents, are also associated with it. Everyone has heard of people dying in their sleep. Some of these fatalities are due to sleep apnea. For example, former Supreme Court justice, Antonio Scalia, had sleep apnea and died in his sleep.