Sleep Apnea Can be Accompanied by Various Serious Health Problems

Sleep apnea is not a disorder to be taken lightly and is a condition that is not going to go away by itself in time. Sleep apnea is in fact classed as a "progressive disease" which means that just like heart disease, cancer and diabetes it worsens with time. There is considerable dispute in the medical community over the effect that sleep apnea has on other medical conditions. This said, there is a definite link between sleep apnea and a variety of physical conditions including hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, heart attack, pulmonary hypertension, stroke and kidney failure.

Researchers are looking more and more into why these conditions are linked to problems that erupt the upper airways of a person with sleep apnea. It is well known of course that being overweight, smoking and abusing alcohol contribute to sleep apnea and in turn lead to a higher probability of developing heart disease and high blood pressure. It is not clear however why some people without these elements in their lifestyle still have sleep apnea.

When breathing stops during a sleep apnea episode the blood shows raised carbon dioxide levels and lower oxygen levels. Consequently, a number of both physical and chemical events takes place within the body that then increases the possibility of other problems arising in the body.

In individuals who suffer from sleep apnea and who are also overweight researchers have discovered that they have high levels of immune factors known as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin. High levels of these factors can produce serious inflammation which can lead to cell damage, especially within the arteries. In one study it was found that individuals with raised tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels had excessive tiredness, shortness of breath and weak heart pumping. However it must be said that at this time no clear causal relationship has been scientifically established between sleep apnea and heart disease.

A number of studies have been carried out to examine high blood pressure and sleep apnea and a connection has been found between the two. For example, a study done in 2000 looked at patients for four years and reported that the greater the number of sleep apnea episodes they experienced in the first year the greater the risk of developing hypertension by the third or fourth year. Even in those people who snored or who experienced only mild sleep apnea there was a small but nonetheless higher than normal link with high blood pressure.

In the past the link between sleep apnea and high blood pressure was considered to be strongly connected to obesity. Recent studies however point to the fact hypertension is seen particularly in those people who have sleep apnea regardless of how much they weigh.

Blood pressure has an effect on sleep apnea because it varies tremendously during repeated sleep apnea episodes. These fluctuations are also associated with changes in the form of sudden surges that occur within the sympathetic nervous system. This system controls involuntary muscles and especially those which take place the heart and blood vessels. It is strongly believed that as time passes these variations might play an important role in the development of permanent and long term hypertension.