Things to know about the link between sleep apnea and hypertension
                     Things to know about the link between sleep apnea and 
hypertension
Sleep apnea is sleep trouble that prevents you from comfortably resting at night. It is caused by a 
hindrance in the airway, resulting in disrupted sleep and reduced oxygen intake. In people suffering 
from obstructive sleep apnea, the condition is caused because of blockage in the throat muscles. In 
central sleep apnea, the problem results from the brain’s failure to signal the respiratory system to 
breathe. The third is mixed sleep apnea, where people have both OSA and CSA. Experts suggest that 
patients suffering from any one of these sleep apneas should be careful with their BP. Here is why 
doing so is recommended. Have a look!
Are obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension connected?
According to an article published in the Journal of Hypertension in 2018, a clear link between 
obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and increased blood pressure exists. However, CSA is typical in 
patients with advanced heart failure, in whom the BP stays typically low. So, it is still unclear if 
central sleep apnea is connected to hypertension.
How can OSA result in high blood pressure?
In people who frequently stop breathing in the middle of their sleep, stress hormones are released. 
The American Heart Association explained that such hormones could cause high blood pressure, 
stroke, and heart disease. Also, disrupted breathing leads to low blood oxygenation, which causes 
the brain to send signals to increase BP and heart rate to increase the oxygen levels reaching the 
body’s tissues.
Can OSA result in high blood pressure even when you are awake?
Sleep apnea episodes when you stop breathing in the middle of the night can raise your blood 
pressure for the whole day. As discussed, the condition causes hypertension because of a drop in 
blood oxygenation levels during the episodes. If this occurs frequently, your BP can stay elevated 
even when enough oxygen is present in the system.
Is severe sleep apnea related to drug-resistant high BP?
A study was conducted in 2014 to test the hypothesis that untreated sleep apnea is linked with high 
BP in patients suffering from increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, despite treatment with an 
intensive hypertension blood regime. The findings were published in an article in the Journal of 
Clinical Sleep Medicine. The readings revealed that sleep apnea, in fact, causes high BP, even if the 
patient is being treated with an intensive hypertensive drug regimen. It proves that severe OSA can 
contribute to medication-resistant hypertension.
Can managing sleep apnea also treat high blood pressure?
Since the breathing and blood oxygen levels improve in response to sleep apnea treatment, your 
blood pressure also gets better. While it is advised to talk to your doctor before adjusting the 
medications, some patients have reported being able to lessen the dose of their hypertension drugs 
following sleep apnea treatment.
Sleep apnea is a problem that keeps you from resting well. Besides a ruined sleep at night, the 
condition also leads to other health problems like hypertension.
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