Sleep apnea is a condition that causes sudden drops in blood oxygen levels during sleep, which can lead to an overload of the cardiovascular system and an increased risk of hypertension. When you stop breathing periodically while sleeping, your body releases stress hormones that can cause high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. There is substantial evidence that treating sleep apnea acutely and long-term can lower blood pressure both at night and during the day, especially in those with the most severe hypertension. Resistant hypertensive patients often have a high prevalence of sleep apnea, and their OSA should be treated in conjunction with the treatment of hypertension. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a recognized cause of secondary hypertension.
Episodes of OSA produce sudden increases in systolic and diastolic pressure, which keep average blood pressure levels high during the night. In many patients, blood pressure remains high during the day when breathing is normal. Factors that contribute to this diurnal pattern of hypertension include hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system and alterations in vascular function and structure caused by oxidative stress and inflammation. Treatment of OSA with continuous positive nasal airway pressure (CPAP) eliminates apnoea, preventing sudden increases in blood pressure and restoring the nocturnal fall pattern. CPAP treatment also has moderate beneficial effects on daytime blood pressure.
Since even a small decrease in blood pressure can contribute to reducing cardiovascular risk, screening for OSA is an essential element in evaluating patients with hypertension. Participants who stopped using their CPAP machines saw that their blood pressure readings began to increase after just one week. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in the United States, and it is estimated that 1 in 4 Americans is at risk of suffering from it. The effects of sleep duration on hypertension have been recently described in a large cohort of patients from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. People with obstructive sleep apnea experience falls of less than 10 percent, putting them at greater cardiovascular risk. This suggests that severe obstructive sleep apnea may contribute to drug-resistant hypertension.
The more frequently you have these respiratory episodes at night, the more norepinephrine you'll release and the more your blood pressure will increase. In this case, especially if you snore during the night, which is a major sign of airway obstruction, your hypertension will most likely not improve unless your sleep apnea is treated. It also remains to be determined whether the treatment of obstructive apnea reduces cardiovascular events secondary to the decrease in blood pressure. CPAP treatment doesn't actually lower blood pressure levels, but it does prevent events that cause an increase in blood pressure during the night. Up to half of patients with sleep apnea may have underlying hypertension, and many patients with hypertension, in particular resistant hypertension, may have OSA.
The quantity and quality of sleep are directly related to blood pressure levels, and it's important to get a good night's sleep every night if you want to maintain a healthy blood pressure.
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