How Does Sleep Apnea Cause Hypertension?

While sleep apnea is a nasty enough problem in itself, there are a variety of other problems that it can cause as well. It can cause you to deal with increased risk of heart disease and it can even end up causing hypertension, or high blood pressure, as well. So, it's important that you have this problem treated as soon as possible so you can get the problem under control. Wondering how does sleep apnea cause hypertension? Well, let's take a closer look at sleep apnea, what it is, and how it can end up causing you to deal with high blood pressure.

Sleep Apnea - What is It?
First of all, it is important that you actually understand what sleep apnea is and how it can work. Basically it is the pause of breathing that occurs over and over during sleep, causing one breath or more to be missed while you are asleep. Many people deal with this many different times during the night and these periods of time when they are not breathing can end up lasting for a minute. During each episode of this problem, the brain wakes up the person for a few moments so that they start breathing once again. Because they are constantly waking up, this can end up making people get a very low quality of rest during the night. While some people may actually mix up this condition with snoring, it is not the same, although many people with sleep apnea actually do snore in their sleep as well.

Blood Pressure and Sleep
When you are sleeping, usually the blood pressure actually falls during this time. However, if the blood pressure does not fall during the night while you are sleeping, it can increase your risk of dealing with cardiovascular disease, including heart failure and stroke. So, it is so important that your blood pressure gets this break while you are sleeping; however, with people who have sleep apnea, this does not always happen.

Sleep Apnea and Hypertension
So, no doubt you are wondering, how does sleep apnea cause hypertension? Well, one of the main side effects that people deal with because of sleep apnea is that their blood pressure does not fall the way that it should at night. Why? Well, it doesn't fall because the body is constantly waking up during the night, which doesn't allow the blood pressure to mellow out the way that it should. When the blood pressure does not fall at night, the risk of heart problems go way up, and if sleep apnea is not properly treated, the risk of having high blood pressure during the day rises as well.

Doctors estimate that about half of all sleep apnea sufferers end up dealing with high blood pressure. While they feel that the interruption in sleep and the bad quality of the sleep can be causes of this problem, they also think that the shortage of oxygen can also cause it as well. There are studies that do show that not getting enough sleep on a regular basis can cause people to deal with high blood pressure, and since sleep apnea takes away from your sleep time, it can have that affect as well.

Most people who actually have sleep apnea don't even know it, since they are often not even aware that they wake up or stop breathing multiple times during the night. While there are millions of people who have sleep apnea, there are a variety of things that can be done to help treat it. In some cases some simple lifestyle changes can be a huge help, such as sleeping on your side, reducing the consumption of alcohol, and even quitting smoking. Various devices are often used to help people keep breathing during the night as well and they can be very effective. Of course if you have sleep apnea and you feel that you want to ensure better sleep at night, one product you may want to give some thought is Sleep Tracks. While it will not directly affect your problem with sleep apnea, it can help you get a better nights' sleep.