How sleep apnea affects blood pressure
                     How sleep apnea 
affects blood pressure?
Hypertension refers to a condition when the force with which the 
blood is pumped through your vessels is higher than usual. Such 
people do not typically show any symptoms, making diagnosing 
high BP difficult. Typically, individuals realise they are 
hypertension patients during routine checkups. But, this doesn’t 
mean that you do not need to treat it. Untreated hypertension 
puts strain on your blood vessels, which can lead to heart disease, 
stroke, and other conditions. For those interested in knowing how 
blood pressure affects sleep apnea, more information is given in 
the following sections. Have a look!
The link between sleep apnea and 
hypertension
Among the two types of sleep apneas, OSA and CSA, 
the prior is linked to hypertension. Many people 
suffering from OSA have high blood pressure, and 
the opposite is also true. 
In people who don’t have any sleep disorders or 
health conditions, the BP naturally lowers at night by 
10% to 20%. This phenomenon is called blood 
pressure dipping. But, in OSA patients, the dip in the 
blood pressure is less (fewer than 10%). It is 
indicative of a non-dipping blood pressure pattern. 
Such people are at an increased risk of experiencing 
cardiovascular issues.
Besides this, OSA patients are said to experience a 
sudden and pronounced hike in BP after waking up in 
the morning. This surge can be another reason 
responsible for hypertension. 
How sleep apnea causes high BP?
Sleep deprivation puts pressure on the heart. And, OSA in particular, over activates 
the sympathetic nervous system. Basically, it is responsible for generating the fight 
or flight response in the human body. It triggers a series of physical reactions like 
faster heart rate, dilated pupils, high blood pressure, and increased metabolism 
when activated. It helps one in reacting to stressful situations. But, people must 
keep in mind that excessive activation of the sympathetic nervous system can mean 
chronically high BP and poor health.
Now, what happens with sleep apnea patients is that they 
experience pauses in breathing several times through the night. 
When the airway collapses, the sympathetic nervous system in 
patients gets triggered. The moment breathing resumes, their 
blood pressure registers a spike. This series of paused and 
resumed breathing wakes up a person. After experiencing an 
apnea episode, getting up from sleep can escalate the BP to an 
even higher degree.
Moreover, a hindrance to sleep because of obstructive sleep 
apnea causes the body to release sympathetic nervous system 
hormones called catecholamines. These are stress hormones 
released by the adrenal glands. Some examples of these 
hormones are dopamine and epinephrine. Their high levels can 
cause a spike in blood pressure.
How does sleep apnea treatment affect BP?
Getting treated for sleep apnea improves sleep quality and 
improves blood pressure. So, using methods like oral appliances, 
CPAP therapy, physical exercises, and making lifestyle changes is 
recommended.
So, this is how sleep apnea is linked with high blood pressure. 
Both the conditions are interrelated and influence each other.
 
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