If you or someone you love has Obstructive Sleep Apnea, you may have concern about how it can impact overall health, particularly the heart. We believe the best weapon against this fear is treatment and education. Through a recent interview with Dr. Said Mostafavi, a leader in sleep medicine, we have gathered the most essential information you should know about the correlation between sleep apnea and heart disease.
What is sleep apnea?
There are different types of sleep apnea, but the most common is Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It occurs when the upper airway collapses or becomes blocked while sleeping. As you can imagine, there are risks posed beyond inadequate sleep. If left untreated, patients can have three times the increased risk of mortality as those without OSA.
Who can it impact?
While it is very common for those who are overweight to have OSA, it can impact those who are not obese as well. “The estimated prevalence in North America is approximately 20 to 30 percent in males and 10 to 15 percent in females,” according to Dr. Mostafavi. “OSA is more prevalent in African Americans who are younger than 35 years old compared with Caucasians of the same age group, independent of body weight. The prevalence of OSA in Asia is similar to that in the United States, despite lower rates of obesity, and linked risk related to craniofacial anatomy.” As you can see, although weight is a factor, it is not a given that if you are not overweight this cannot impact you as well.
Common Risk Factors
- Advanced Age
- Male Gender
- Obesity upper airway abnormalities
- Smoking
- Menopause
- Heredity
- Pregnancy
- PTSD
How can affect the heart?
To put it simply, when your breathing stops while you are sleeping, your body is not getting the amount of oxygen it needs. Your body then moves into motion by releasing adrenaline into your system. As this happens night after night and for some, year after year, it can lead to high blood pressure.
Here’s what Dr. Mostafavi had to say:
“These events are associated with intermittent hypoxemia and possibly hypercapnia and usually provoke an arousal from sleep. The arousal is associated with restoration of upper airway patency and ventilation. … OSA is associated with a significant increase in sympathetic activity during sleep, which in turn influences heart rate and blood pressure.”
How can CPAP Therapy help?
In a 2015 study, researchers found that deaths from cardiovascular disease were more common in untreated OSA patients. In total, there were 31% more cardiovascular events total in the untreated group than the treated group. Some researchers are even considering that therapy may have the potential to reduce damage to the heart.
Dr. Mostafavi states that a combination of “Weight loss and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy have been shown to improve outcomes in randomized trials.” However, if patients are not compliant in their treatments, they will be far less likely to see results.
So, can sleep apnea cause a heart attack? The answer is yes, if left untreated. If you suspect you or someone you love may have OSA, it’s time to seek medical advice and start feeling better soon! Contact us to see how we can assist you with your health.
Comments
Adrian Pinales
Posted on January 07, 2019I have been sleeping three to six and a half hours a night for the past few years. I was taking over the counter sleeping pills until the recent past but I stop taking them because I am afraid that can cause another health issue. What is your recommendation?
Health Blogs
Posted on September 14, 2021That’s really amazing. keep sharing.
Dan
Posted on February 01, 2022Thank you for the heads up. Great article.
Joey Leandros
Posted on March 02, 2022There are risks posed beyond inadequate sleep.
io games
Posted on May 31, 2022Sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure it it happens year after year.
quordle
Posted on June 14, 2022Sleep apnea can cause hypertension if it’s chronic.
kogama squid
Posted on June 29, 2022I, too, am experiencing the same issue. Dreaming begins the moment I fall asleep and lasts all night long. And some of my dreams are so strange that I can’t even tell anyone about them. I just want a night without any thoughts. I’ve been desiring a good night’s sleep ever since I slept like a baby a long time ago.
sammer
Posted on August 29, 2022Thanks for Best Information topic
lokito
Posted on August 30, 2022Best discuss this Topic…
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Posted on September 09, 2022Thank you for sharing such an informative article of sleep apnea. I’m sure this sleep blog is really helping people out with posting such informational content consistently.
happy wheels
Posted on September 30, 2022I am very confused about the question of Does Sleep Apnea cause a heart attack. If that happened, it would be very dangerous if no one was around. Is that the cause of the stroke?
Watsonville
Posted on November 30, 2022If left untreated, patients can have three times the increased risk of mortality as those without OSA.
Del SEO Dublin
Posted on January 19, 2023Having sleep apnea myself, it’s refreshing to know this information, thank you.