Hypertension is alarmingly common nowadays but it should be avoided since it brings a lot of risk to our health on top of sleep apnea. Both condition worsen each other, but how? I can answer that for you.
So, how does sleep apnea cause hypertension? When we experience difficulty in breathing because of obstructive sleep apnea, the blood oxygen levels will suddenly drop and increases blood pressure.
Basically, when there is an obstruction in the airways, our body cannot breathe properly and this means the air cannot circulate properly into our system.
Since there will be insufficient oxygen, blood pressure will continue to increase instead.
Our body will end up having a dysfunctional system because the increased blood pressure will strain the cardiovascular system. In other words, blood won’t be able to circulate properly.
This will lead to other risky health conditions such as diabetes because we will have less control over our glucose.
Hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea are commonly seen among the same patients since they share similar risk factors that can bring also lead to other illnesses.
Sleep apnea causes hypertension but hypertension can also be the cause for sleep apnea. Either way, both conditions can actually worsen each other which is why it’s a health-threatening condition.
If we manage to maintain our regular oxygen levels, hypertension among sleep apnea patients can be prevented.
There are different severity levels for hypertension and sleep apnea patients are prone to a more abnormal blood pressure due to the dysfunctional rest they are getting because of sleep apnea.
According to recent data, approximately 75 million people have hypertension and an estimated 22 million people suffer because of sleep apnea.
Now that you understand how sleep apnea causes hypertension, the next step is finding out how you can avoid it and treat it. There are many options that you can choose from or you can start with your lifestyle.
How to treat sleep apnea and hypertension
Sleep apnea treatment mainly depends on what is the cause and the same goes for hypertension. The first list will tell you some tips on how to treat hypertension caused by sleep apnea.
- Avoid salty foods
- Exercise regularly
- Keep a healthy weight
- Lessen alcohol consumption
There are also other medications meant for treating hypertension such as thiazide diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, calcium channel blockers, alpha blockers, beta blockers, renin inhibitors and more.
To treat sleep apnea, there are different surgeries nowadays that can permanently get rid of sleep apnea that causes your hypertension. Eliminating the cause will get rid of the branch problems too.
- Rapid Maxillary Expansion
- For children with obstructive sleep apnea. This process places an expandable brace on the roof of the mouth that increases the width of the upper jaw (maxilla).
- Over time, parents can adjust the brace using a special key to increase the amount of pressure for the teeth.
- Jaw Advancement Surgery
- For teenagers and adults. This process will surgically break the jaw bones, moved forward and then fixed properly with screws and plates and will change the person’s facial structure or profile.
- It might take months to recover.
- Surgical Airway Advancement
- Similar to the 2nd example. Bones of the upper and lower jaw will be repositioned in a way that will relieve airway obstruction.
For some tips to avoid or get rid of sleep apnea, check out this list below.
- Lose weight.
- Losing weight can lessen the risk of hypertension. Get plenty of exercises and maintain a healthy balanced and avoid sleep apnea.
- Follow proper sleeping position
- Make sure to elevate your head properly on the pillow to keep your neck relaxed and try sleeping on your side so the tongue does not mildly block the airway in the throat.
- Falling asleep with a wrong position may cause sleep apnea since the muscles won’t be able to relax properly.
- Stop or avoid smoking too much.
- Excessive smoking can cause or worsen sleep apnea. Reducing your smoke intake per day will also reduce the risk of having hypertension. If possible, quit smoking to potentially get rid of sleep apnea.
- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption
- Drinking too much alcohol before sleeping can cause and worsen sleep apnea just like smoking.
- Avoid sedatives before going to sleep
- Certain sedatives can cause sleep apnea. Consult a medical expert to determine what type of sedative may be the cause.
- Maintain a proper sleep routine.
- Sometimes, we end up getting exposed to sleep apnea since we simply don’t sleep at the right time. Try to avoid staying up late and sleep early.
- Don’t overwork yourself all the time.
- Going to sleep exhausted can make us a lot more prone to sleep apnea. It’s important to relax a little bit at first before going to bed to lessen the risk of sleep apnea.
- Treat chronic allergies
- Some allergies can trigger obstruction in your body’s airways and may cause you to have sleep apnea. Treat or avoid triggering your allergies to avoid sleep apnea.
- Try to use CPAP treatment
- CPAP therapy is a commonly used method for treating sleep apnea and moderately control its symptoms such as avoiding the risk of having hypertension.
- Try an oral appliance
- An oral appliance is a dental mouthpiece that can help keep airways open just like snoring strips. Consult your dentist if you’re looking for an oral appliance. It can control sleep apnea.
What causes sleep apnea that causes hypertension
There are several factors that can be the cause of your sleep apnea. Some of these factors are our natural anatomy which can only be fixed through surgeries and some cannot be fixed at all.
Sometimes, it’s also about hereditary conditions. The thing is, it’s important to understand what is the reason behind our health complications.
- Obesity
- Can make breathing difficult even while asleep or not moving
- Hypothyroidism
- The condition wherein your body does not produce enough thyroid hormones, which is needed to control how to use energy received from food through metabolism. Bad metabolism can affect heartbeat and breathing.
- Acromegaly
- Opposite of hypothyroidism, acromegaly produces too much growth hormones which can affect your overall health including breathing.
- Allergies
- There are certain allergies that can worsen sleep apnea. Allergies that result with difficulty in breathing are the likes.
- Smoking cigarettes
- Excessive smoking can cause sleep apnea or worsen it
- Drinking liquor
- Too much liquor and drinking before going to sleep can cause sleep apnea.
- Drug usage
- Sedations or other types of drugs especially when being abused can result in sleep apnea or worse.
- Being male
- Observations reveal that males tend to have sleep apnea more than females
- Being old
- Observations also revealed that older adults are more prone to sleep apnea than younger ones due to more complicated health issues that may trigger sleep apnea
Other natural causes of sleep apnea can be a thick neck, narrow throat and having a round head. Avoid triggering your allergies or get medications for other conditions to cure your sleep apnea.
When sleep apnea and hypertension are not treated
Don’t take sleep apnea and hypertension lightly as they are dangerous conditions which can turn fatal at any moment. You will understand the risks better as you read this list of possibilities.
- Heart failure
- May lead to fatal conditions such as brain damages or even death
- Heart attack
- Can also be severely life-threatening
- Irregular heartbeat
- Worsens the ability to breathe
- Can trigger anxiety or death
- Can lead to other heart diseases
- Stroke
- Can leave permanent damage
- May lead to paralysis
- Can cause death
- Depression
- Not an easy condition to treat
- Can lead to self-harming
- Diabetes
- Leaves you prone to more heart attacks
- Increases ADHD
- Sleep apnea reduces your ability to focus which is what happens when you have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Having a lack of control to focus can lead to frustration and risk of other danger
- Headaches
- You may wake up with a bad headache which will lead to other problems listed here
- Can lead to brain problems
- Lack of daily energy
- As mentioned, your energy will be reduced since you are unable to sleep well.
- Seizures
- Sleep apnea patients are more prone to seizures during sleep compared to epilepsy patients without sleep apnea.
These conditions are definitely life-threatening so it must be cured as soon as possible. Even if it can’t be cured permanently, we should at least try to avoid it or lessen the risks too.
Related Questions
- Does stress cause hypertension?
Yes, stress can potentially cause hypertension as well as sleep apnea. Studies reveal that stress strains the mental health which eventually strains our physical health as well.
Stress can disrupt the normal functionality of our body and lead to sleep apnea and hypertension.
- Can hypertension run in the family?
Yes, hypertension or high blood pressure can run in the family. Families share genes, lifestyle, environments and, behaviors that can widely contribute to a person’s health.
According to studies, hypertension can be hereditary and black people are more prone to high blood pressure more often than white people, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians or Native Alaskans.
