Sleep apnea is the repeated pausing of breathing while sleeping, so that one or more breaths are missed. A person can have many occurrences a night and in some people, episodes may last for up to minute. At each incident the brain awakens the person for a moment, to make them inhale air again. This cycle of brief awakenings results in disturbed and poor quality rest. Sleep apnea is not the same as snoring, though most people with this condition do snore.
Blood pressure normally falls during sleep. There is a substantial amount of evidence that if there is no fall at night, there is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart failure.
One of the side effects of sleep apnea is that blood pressure usually does not fall at night. This means that there is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally if left untreated, there is an increased likelihood of having daytime (resting) high blood pressure too.
Some estimates are that 50% of long-term sufferers have high blood pressure. It is not clear whether the cause is the repeated shortage of oxygen, caused by missing breaths, or the interrupted and poor quality of sleep. It is probably a combination of both. Studies have shown that continually not getting enough sleep increases the risk of elevated blood pressure. The lack of continual deep sleep due to sleep apnea may have a similar effect.
Those with sleep apnea usually cannot tell that they have this condition, since they are not aware of stopping breathing and the brief awakenings. Consequently, many sufferers do not believe that they have this problem. when others tell them.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute estimates that 18 million people have sleep apnea. This is a large number of people who are at greater risk of increased blood pressure.
There are a number of treatment options for sleep apnea depending on the cause. Sometimes lifestyle changes are sufficient, and can include, not lying on the back, sleeping with head and upper body elevated (such as in a recliner) a reduction in alcohol consumption, reduction in the use of muscle relaxants, quitting smoking and weight loss. There are a number of devices that fit in the mouth that are worn at night. Positive airway pressure devices are available also. A good place to start for more information about the causes and treatment is the American Sleep Apnea Association.
Treatment will decrease the risk of getting high blood pressure. For those who already have high blood pressure, treatment will help stop further increases, and reduce the risk of the consequences such as stroke and heart failure.
Judith Airey PhD. is a biomedical researcher with a range of interests including all things cardiovascular. She has several health-related websites including a blood pressure information site http://www.InfoBloodPressure.com and a blog http://www.lifeagingand.com
