Sleep Apnoea and the Risks to Heart Health

  • Posted in Sleep Apnoea
  •  By Loran Simon

blood pressureSnoring may be a sign of sleep apnoea and sleep apnoea needs to be treated as soon as possible. This is because this medical condition has certain effects that affect your overall health. Sleep apnoea also affects your heart in a negative way. This is why an article from http://sleepdisorders.about.com talks about sleep apnoea and its heart disease risks.

 

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Some of the largest population studies of sleep apnoea demonstrate the fact that untreated sleep apnoea increases blood pressure. People with blood pressure that is difficult to control with medications are extremely likely to have unrecognized sleep apnoea. This is called refractory essential hypertension, and it usually involves persistent blood pressure elevation despite the use of three or more medications to lower it. The good news is that the standard treatment of sleep apnoea, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), can be effective in lowering blood pressure.

 

Diabetes

Sleep apnoea is correlated with insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, findings that

are precursors to developing type 2 diabetes. This correlation exists independent of body mass index (BMI). This means that you can be of normal weight and sleep apnoea may still increase your risk of developing diabetes.

 

Coronary Artery Disease

Approximately 1 in 3 of those people with coronary artery disease have sleep apnoea, with a large fraction not complaining of excessive daytime sleepiness. The blood vessels of the heart may become narrowed by plaques, leading to chest pain or even other consequences.

 

Arrhythmias

Abnormal heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation occur more frequently in those with untreated sleep apnoea. In fact, the risk of atrial fibrillation doubles with sleep apnoea,

correlating with the severity of oxygen desaturation.

 

 

Heart Failure

Studies in the U.S. and Canada suggest 47 to 61 percent of patients with heart failure have moderate to severe sleep apnoea. Mild pulmonary hypertension, a marker of heart failure, is common in sleep apnoea. It may affect up to 20% of people with OSA and occurs due to low oxygen levels leading to constriction of the blood vessels within the lungs.

 

Heart Attack

Studies have demonstrated the association between OSA and ischemic heart disease, including heart attacks. This is likely related, in part, to the exacerbation of the other factors described above.

 

Read more here:

http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/commonsleepdisorders/a/whatissleepapne.htm

Image Courtesy of markuso / freedigitalphotos.net

 

Somnowell Inventor - Visiting Professor Simon Ash FDS MSc MOrth BDS

Prof. Ash is the inventor of the highly successful SOMNOWELL Chrome device for snoring and sleep apnoea.

The Somnowell Chrome is made to exacting standards in the Somnowell laboratory under the supervision of Visiting Professor Simon Ash. Prof. Ash and his master technicians create each Somnowell Chrome device using their wealth of experience and expertise.

Prof. Ash works at the forefront of his profession. He is a Consultant and Specialist Orthodontist with over 30 years clinical experience, with a special interest in sleep related breathing disorders, TMJD, and bruxism. He currently works in Harley Street London and two private hospitals in London as part of a multi-disciplinary team managing snoring and sleep apnoea, and is Visiting Professor of Orthodontics at the BPP University.

The Somnowell mandibular advancement appliance is also recommended by:

  • Sleep Centres
  • ENT Surgeons, Sleep Physicians, Respiratory, Physicians
  • Orthodontists, Dentists
  • General Medical Practitioners
Recommended By:
Recommended By