How does Sleep Apnea affect Blood Pressure?

Understanding Sleep Apnea and Its Types

Sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder that results in poor sleep quality and can lead to daytime fatigue or sleepiness, forgetfulness, and irritability.  According to the Mayo Clinic, there are 3 types of sleep apnea to be aware of as follows:

• OSA or obstructive sleep apnea is the more common form of the disorder and affects roughly 30% of American adults as well as up to 5% children ranging from infants to teenagers.  OSA occurs when the muscles of the throat become too relaxed and block airflow into the lungs.
• CSA or central sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to send the right signals to the muscles responsible for controlling our breathing.
• Complex or treatment-emergent sleep apnea occurs when an individual receives OSA therapy and the disorder converts to CSA.

Research has suggested that one of several health consequences of the condition is sleep apnea blood pressure-related issues.

What is Hypertension?

More commonly referred to as high blood pressure, hypertension occurs when the force that pumps your blood is higher than the normal 120/80.    In most cases, individuals with high blood pressure are unaware of it until they find out from their doctor during a medical exam.  Like high blood pressure, individuals who have sleep apnea don’t know they have the disorder until their doctor suggests undergoing a sleep study or their partner or spouse expresses their concerns about the symptoms the person is having.

Most individuals are unaware of the relationship between sleep apnea and high blood pressure.  Consequently, it’s important to understand how these two conditions are related and can have an effect on one another.  Fortunately, hypertension can be managed effectively with lifestyle changes and medication.  And like sleep apnea, the treatment for both conditions can reduce your risk of experiencing more serious health problems and the consequences thereof.

What Causes Blood Pressure Spikes in Sleep Apnea Patients?

The interrupted sleep due to pauses in breathing is one of the key aspects of sleep apnea. That leads to a drop in blood oxygen levels, which in turn activates your sympathetic nervous system. This activates:

• The cortisol levels by triggering the ‘flight or fight’ response.
• Every hypopnea and apnea episode leads to a surge of adrenaline, leading to an increase in blood pressure. With time, this leads to hypertension.
• Disrupted and poor-quality sleep leads to hormonal imbalances, which in turn affects your blood pressure.
• Frequent fluctuations and spikes in blood pressure when asleep puts you at a higher risk of stroke and heart disease.

Will Sleep Apnea Treatment Affect Blood Pressure?

It is true that treatment for sleep apnea can improve high blood pressure. CPAP therapy is considered to be the gold standard for sleep apnea and ensures that the pressurized air is inhaled all through the night through a mask. Usually, hypertension lowers because:

• hypopnea and apnea episodes throughout the night lead to a drop in blood oxygen levels, causing hypertension over time. CPAP helps improve oxygen flow and keep the airway open. This reduces the blood pressure and helps to stop snoring.
• Treatment for sleep apnea ensures that your cardiovascular health improves. However, it depends on the overall health and level of sleep apnea you are riddled with that the degree of blood pressure improves significantly.

The Health Risks of Untreated Sleep Apnea & High Blood Pressure

There are multiple serious health risks of untreated sleep apnea and high blood pressure as there is frequent disruptions in breathing when you are asleep. That leads to:

• Increased risk of stroke due to clot formation and poor blood circulation
• Heightened strain on the heart- leading to heart failure, kidney diseases and arrhythmias
• Untreated sleep apnea can lead to deprivation of oxygen that stresses the heart
• Leads to Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance
• Mental health is impacted, due to hormone imbalance leading to anxiety and depression
• Low oxygen levels and frequent waking at night disrupt restful sleep leading to poor concentration and sleep deprivation

Treatment Options for Sleep Apnea & High Blood Pressure

For treating sleep apnea and high blood pressure, there are many options, including combining a multitude of therapies, such as:

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy is the top standard for treating sleep apnea by reducing hypopnea and apnea episodes.
• Make lifestyle changes – avoid smoking and alcohol intake, lose weight
• Use oral appliances as it will help you stop snoring and reduce OSA symptoms by keeping airway open
• Using medication for hypertension such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors to control high blood pressure can help
• Surgery for tonsil removal, UPPP if that is the reason for sleep apnea and snoring
• Blood pressure management includes regular exercise, weight loss to reduce severity of sleep apnea

How are Sleep Apnea and High Blood Pressure interrelated?

Of the 3 types of sleep apnea, OSA is the only one that’s been linked to hypertension.  Although OSA is only prevalent in 4% to 7% of Americans, it affects up to 40% of those individuals with hypertension.  Of all the diagnosed cases of OSA, it’s been estimated that nearly half are affected by high blood pressure.  With healthier individuals, their blood pressure typically decreases from 10% to 20% during sleep.  This is commonly referred to as “blood pressure dipping.”

On the other hand, individuals with sleep apnea blood pressure-related issues do not experience a dip in their blood pressure patterns.  As a result, they could eventually face serious cardiovascular issues.  Furthermore, many OSA patients often experience a sudden and more pronounced increase with their blood pressure upon awakening in the morning.  This blood pressure surge factor elevates their risk for experiencing future cardiovascular problems.  Additionally, clinical studies have shown that daytime blood pressure levels increase according to the severity of their sleep apnea.

Effects of OSA on Blood Pressure

When an individual’s breathing slows down or stops like it characteristically does with OSA, their heart rate decreases as well.  During a sleep apnea blood pressure-related experience, your adrenaline surges and triggers other reactions in the central nervous system when you breathe and causes a rapid acceleration of your heart rate.  As a result, you experience a sudden increase in blood pressure.  When you continue to have these sleep apnea episodes, your blood pressure stays chronically elevated.

Not only has it been proven that sleep apnea and hypertension are interconnected, but the Cleveland Family Study is one of the forerunners in investigating environment and genetic factors that are associated with health outcomes and sleep apnea. The study included participation of over 2,000 people from four hundred families. The study found that there was ample evidence linking hypertension with sleep apnea. Additionally, it was seen that genetic predisposition influenced hypertension that was related to developing sleep apnea, if left untreated.

Another study termed as Apnea Positive Pressure Long-term Efficacy Study (APPLES) highlighted the effect of CPAP therapy, one of the gold standards of treating sleep apnea, with blood pressure. The trial included about one thousand individuals that were suffering with sleep apnea. It was found that CPAP therapy lowered both diastolic and systolic blood pressure, even in people with severe sleep apnea. It strengthened the premise that CPAP therapy not just improved the sleep quality of people suffering with sleep apnea, but lowered the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure.

The Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS) has highlighted the correlation of cardiovascular health, including hypertension, with sleep apnea. The clinical trial included over 6000 individuals that were part of the study for many years. The study concluded that sleep apnea was associated closely with hypertension or high blood pressure. One of the results that was of immense importance in the SHHS was that the night-time patterns of the blood pressure were different in those individuals that suffered with sleep apnea. Many of them didn’t find any drop in the blood pressure at night. This is an abnormal pattern that gives rise to risk of developing a range of cardiovascular diseases. The long-term health consequences of chronically elevated blood pressure elevate your risk of the following:

• heart attack
• kidney failure
• stroke
• vascular dementia

If left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can also elevate the risk of other serious health conditions including:

• abnormal heartbeat or arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation
• abnormal liver function
• heart failure
• impaired immune system function
• type 2 diabetes

OSA can also lead to other complications when given general anesthesia and can significantly compromise proper breathing after undergoing a surgical procedure.  There are numerous treatments available for sleep apnea and high blood pressure whether they are interrelated or not.  Where sleep apnea-related snoring is concerned, one of the more effective ways to temporarily alleviate the problem is by using Asonor Anti-snoring Spray. Thus, you can nip the problem in the early stages and stay healthy.

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Should I Talk To My Doctor About Sleep Apnea?

It is important to talk with your doctor about sleep apnea if you think you are a heavy snorer, experience gasping awake due to breathing pauses multiple times a night or have low concentration and excessive daytime drowsiness. Early diagnosis can help with the treatment and reduce health complications.

Conclusion

Sleep apnea has an adverse effect on hypertension due to spikes in the blood oxygen levels when asleep. That leads to stress responses in your body, leading to enhanced heart rate and constricted blood vessels. This leads to a higher risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes and many other diseases.