Sleep disorders can really have grave effects to a person’s overall health. One of the many kinds of sleep disorders, sleep apnea, is considered to be a life-threatening medical condition and it requires proper diagnosis and prompt treatment to prevent it from causing bad effects to a person’s overall health. Sleep apnea is a type of sleep disorder that is characterized by several apneic episodes or episodes of cessation in breathing and sudden awakening just to gasp air. Sleep apnea can cause several medical conditions, and it is in fact believed that sleep apnea has a connection between heart diseases.
Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease
It is not very clear whether a heart disease causes the sleep apnea condition or is it the other way around. However, even if that part of both medical conditions is unclear, what is clear is that both medical conditions can coexist. As a matter of fact, both medical conditions can cause an aggravation of both medical conditions. It is even proven that people suffering from various heart diseases (stroke, heart failure, hypertension, etc) have a higher prevalence of sleep apnea than those people who do not have any cardiovascular problems.
Hypertension and Sleep Apnea
Hypertension is a type of cardiovascular (heart) problem that is characterized by an increase in blood pressure. Since sleep apnea causes episodes of cessation in breathing while sleeping, the body will be deprived with oxygen supply. In an event of oxygen deprivation in the body, the brain sends signals to the nervous system and causes the blood vessels to constrict for it to increase oxygen supply to the heart and to the brain. Once that happens, blood pressure can significantly increase, and a significant increase in the blood pressure can be life threatening.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) for Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease
Continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP is usually used as a treatment or control for sleep apnea during sleep. CPAP will not only cause an improvement in oxygen supplementation to the body during sleep, it can also prevent or keep hypertension at bay. Continuous positive airway pressure will not just treat or control your sleep apnea, it can also help in treating and preventing recurrence of various cardiovascular problems, which can be very beneficial for your health. To properly know whether CPAP will be helpful in your case, you should consult your doctor and discuss with your doctor other treatment options best for your present medical condition.
