The Serious Sleep Apnea Side Effects to Our Health
Sleep apnea side effects could be seriously risk to our health. Sleep apnea is not a disorder to be
taken lightly nor is it something that will go away on its own with time. In fact sleep apnea is
classified as being a “progressive disease” which means that just like cancer, diabetes and heart disease
it gets worse with time.
There is a lot of debate in the medical community about the sleep apnea side effects have on other
medical problems. There is a definite connection between sleep apnea and these physical conditions-high
blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, heart attack, kidney failure, pulmonary hypertension and stroke.
More and more research is looking into why the above conditions are related to problems erupting in the
upper airways of a person suffering from sleep apnea. It is well known that being overweight, smoking
and abusing alcohol plays a role in sleep apnea and in turn leads to a greater chance of developing
heart disease and hypertension. However it is not clear while some people who do not have any of
these problems regarding their lifestyle still develop sleep apnea.
When there is a cessation of breathing during a sleep apnea episode the bloodstream shows higher levels
of carbon dioxide while oxygen levels decrease. As a result of this, a series of chemical and physical
events takes place in the body that then increases the risk of other problems arising in the body.
In individuals who suffer from sleep apnea and who are overweight, experts have discovered that they
have high levels of immune factors known as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6
(IL-6). High levels of both of these factors can cause serious inflammation in the body which can lead
to cell damage, especially in the arteries.
In one particular study it was shown that people with elevated levels of TNF-alpha suffered from shortness of breath, excessive tiredness and a “weak heart-pumping action.” However it must be said that to date
no “clear causal relationship” between obstructive sleep apnea and heart disease has been
scientifically established.
Many studies have been conducted to look at high blood pressure and sleep apnea. A link has been
found between the two. To give an example, a study done in 2000 examined patients over a four year period
and showed that the more apnea episodes they experienced in the first year, the greater risk was posed
for them to develop hypertension by the third or fourth year. Now you know how serious sleep apnea
side effects are.
Even for those who snore or experience mild sleep apnea, there was a “weak but still higher than
normal association with high blood pressure.”
In the past the connection between sleep apnea and hypertension was believed to be strongly linked
to obesity. However recent studies are pointing to other findings, which is that hypertension is
particularly high in individuals who suffer from sleep apnea no matter what their weight is.
Blood pressure affects sleep apnea because it fluctuates tremendously during repeated sleep apnea
episodes. These fluctuations are also related to changes in the form of sudden surges that take place in
the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system “controls involuntary muscles,
importantly those in the blood vessels and heart.” It is strongly believed that as time passes,
these fluctuations could play a significant role in the development of permanent long-term hypertension.**
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