The Relationship of Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease

Although sleep apnea and heart disease are not well-known by public, it is important to consider these illnesses because their occurrence has increased lately. The understanding of the relationship between sleep apnea and heart disease are relatively new, perhaps only ten years or so. However, nowadays it becomes one of the most interesting findings in health science.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a certain type of sleep disorder distinguished by pauses of breathing when a person is sleeping. It happens several times throughout sleeping and usually the person does not realize that he or she has breathing problem. Sleep apnea is a common disorder and it can be a serious problem. Studies showed that sleep apnea and heart disease is related.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common to happen throughout the world. It happens because during sleeping, your body muscle is relaxed. Since the throat consists of walls of soft tissues, it can collapse, block the air flow, and obstruct the breathing process. Usually normal breaths will start again after this period with a snort. This situation is called obstructive sleep apnea.

The relationship between sleep apnea and heart disease

Recently, sleep apnea is deemed as one of risk factors that can cause heart disease. Research found a strong relationship between sleep apnea and heart disease. In addition, sleep apnea also can cause high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and obesity. The fight or flight response resulting from each sleep apnea incident is the source of the problem because it creates hormonal changes. Together with lack of oxygen, this problem will create damage to your body.

There are several typical symptoms of sleep apnea, such as restless sleep and snoring. Morning headache, forgetfulness, less sex drive, depression, and weight gain also may be caused by sleep apnea. Sleep apnea tends to increase heart rate while interestingly, reduce the overall heart rate variability.

Several treatments are available for sleep apnea. Avoiding alcohol, quitting smoking, and reducing weight are recommended. A face mask with a tube that blows continuous oxygen can be used to keep the airway opens. Sometimes, surgery needs to be done to improve the size of the airway.

Research and studies are still under continuous development to explain sleep apnea and heart disease. I am confident that in the near future, we will obtain more information concerning this issue and therefore, proper treatments can be given to reduce the risk of sleep apnea and heart disease.

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