A Closer Look at How Untreated Sleep Apnea Raises Your Blood Pressure

Sleeping is a vital part of our lives, despite research not completely understanding its overall function. This nightly cycle allows us to rest and support healthy brain function, repair cells, conserve and restore energy, and preserve our emotional health. A good night’s rest, between seven and nine hours, involves going through four sleep cycles, and dreaming happens during that cycle’s rapid eye movement (REM) phase.

Sleep disorders prevent your body from getting all of these benefits when trying to rest, and sleep apnea is a common problem that can affect your cardiovascular health by raising your blood pressure. During Hypertension Awareness Month, looking at the link between sleep apnea and blood pressure issues can help prevent complications that lead to damage throughout your circulatory and cardiovascular system.

Treating sleeping problems can help your overall health. Dr Shivan Amin and his staff at Midtown ENT are here to help residents of the West Midtown area of Atlanta, Georgia, with these issues.

How sleep apnea affects you

This disorder causes you to stop breathing multiple times while trying to sleep, breaking up the cycles necessary to get into a deep slumber. There are three categories of sleep apnea: obstructive, which results from tissue blocking your airway; central, which disrupts brain signals; and complex, which combines the other two. 

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common, and things like having large tonsils, obesity, hormonal conditions, heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation, smoking, alcohol abuse, and sedatives can increase your chances of dealing with it. Whichever form you deal with, problems with having sleep apnea lead to daytime sleepiness, waking up multiple times at night, excess fatigue, concentration issues, and morning headaches.

Its connection to hypertension

OSA is the type most linked with hypertension, because the obstruction that happens at night prevents your body from experiencing lower blood pressure while sleeping (a phenomenon known as pressure dipping). Without the reduction in blood pressure during rest, your risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension increases, and as your sleep apnea worsens, so do the blood pressure issues.

Treatment options

OSA is often treated using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which creates steady air pressure through the mouth and nose while the patient rests. Research shows that CPAP helps lower daytime blood pressure and OSA, but it may not be enough to manage both problems. Medications like beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors can help deal with the blood pressure problems, and a variety of lifestyle changes will also reduce incidents. These include changing your diet, losing weight, stopping smoking, and exercising regularly.

Sleep apnea and hypertension both present risks to your health. If you have one or both, contact Dr. Amin and the team at Midtown ENT today.