High Blood Pressure & Obstructive Sleep Apnea

A new study adds to the evidence linking obstructive sleep apnea to an increased risk of high blood pressure.

The study involved 529 men and 207 women with OSA. The severity of their sleep apnea varied widely.

Their average apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ranged from five to 197 breathing pauses per hour of sleep; the mean AHI was 36. An AHI of more than 30 is considered “severe” OSA.

Participants with sleep apnea were compared with a control group; it comprised 154 men and 161 women who did not have OSA.

Results show that the odds of high blood pressure increased with increasing AHI; the risk also rose with increasing age and average body mass index (BMI). Among the most obese subjects, men were almost twice as likely as women to have high blood pressure.

The NHLBI reports that about one in three adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure. It can damage the heart, blood vessels, kidneys and other parts of the body. Another name for high blood pressure is “hypertension.”

High blood pressure is treated with lifestyle changes and medicines. Lifestyle changes include eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise and quitting smoking. Most people with high blood pressure will need lifelong treatment.

In 2008 a scientific statement reported that about 30 percent of people with high blood pressure also have sleep apnea. According to the AASM, OSA occurs when the muscles relax during sleep. As a result soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the upper airway. Breathing pauses can last from 10 seconds to a minute or longer.

These pauses can produce a severe drop in oxygen levels; they also can cause blood pressure to soar.

The AASM recommends CPAP therapy as the treatment of choice for mild, moderate and severe OSA. Research shows that CPAP can reduce blood pressure in people with sleep apnea.

Learn more about how CPAP helps the heart on SleepEducation.com.

Get help for sleep apnea at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Insomnia with Objective Short Sleep Duration Linked to Increased Risk of Hypertension

A new study in the Journal SLEEP found that insomnia with objectively short sleep time is a significant risk factor for hypertension.

The study involved 1,741 men and women randomly selected from central Pennsylvania. Participants were categorized as normal sleepers, poor sleepers and chronic insomniacs based on symptoms of insomnia and objectively measured sleep duration.

Results indicate that the people at highest risk for hypertension were those with insomnia and less than five hours of sleep per night.

Lead author of the study Alexandros N. Vgontzas of Penn State College of Medicine said that both quality and quantity of sleep play a role in determining the risk for high blood pressure. This means that not every person suffering from insomnia is at an increased risk for hypertension.

Hypertension is linked with serious medical conditions, including heart, eye and kidney disease and strokes.

Findings of the study suggest that chronic insomnia is a major public health problem rather than a mere annoyance for otherwise healthy people.

People who have difficulty sleeping or other symptoms of insomnia that last for longer than a month should seek help at one of the 1,600 sleep centers accredited by the AASM.