An Examination Of Some Of The Serious Health Problems Which Can Be Associated With Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that has to be taken seriously and is a disorder that is not going to disappear on its own with time. Sleep apnea is in fact classed as a “progressive disease” which means that just like cancer, diabetes and heart disease it worsens over time. There is a lot of debate amongst medical professionals over the effect which sleep apnea has on other medical problems. Having said this, there is a clear link between sleep apnea and several physical conditions including hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, heart attack, pulmonary hypertension, kidney failure and stroke.

Researchers are looking more and more into why these conditions are linked to problems erupting in the upper airways of people suffering from sleep apnea. It is well known of course that being overweight, smoking and abusing alcohol contribute to sleep apnea and lead to a greater probability of developing high blood pressure and heart disease. However it is not clear why a lot of people who do not have any of these elements in their lifestyle still have sleep apnea.

When there is a cessation of breathing during a sleep apnea episode the blood has increased carbon dioxide levels and lower oxygen levels. Consequently, several physical and chemical changes takes place in the body which then raises the possibility of other problems arising in the body.

In sleep apnea sufferers who are overweight doctors have discovered high levels of immune factors called tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). High levels of both of these factors can lead to serious inflammation that can result in cell damage, especially within the arteries. In one study it was demonstrated that people with raised levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha had excessive tiredness, shortness of breath and weak heart pumping. It has to be said however that at this point no clear causal relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and heart disease has been scientifically established.

A number of studies have been conducted to look at sleep apnea and hypertension and a link has been established between the two. For example, a study performed in 2000 looked at patients for four years and reported that the more sleep apnea episodes they experienced in the first year the greater the possibility of developing high blood pressure by the third or fourth year. Even amongst those people who snored or experienced only mild sleep apnea there was a weak but nevertheless higher than usual link with hypertension.

Previously the connection between hypertension and sleep apnea was thought to be strongly linked to obesity. But recent studies point to the fact hypertension is seen especially in people who have sleep apnea no matter what their weight is.

Blood pressure affects sleep apnea because it rises and falls enormously during repeated sleep apnea episodes. These changes are also related to changes by way of sudden surges which occur within the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls involuntary muscle movements and particularly those which occur the heart and blood vessels. It is strongly believed that as time passes these variations might play an important part in the development of permanent long term high blood pressure.

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