Untreated, this condition can cause serious health issues  

People have their lives cut short by heart disease every day. It’s the number one cause of death in the United States and estimated that an American dies of cardiovascular disease every 36 seconds.¹

It’s well-known that behaviours such as eating fast food, consuming too much alcohol, smoking, and not exercising can increase your risk of heart disease.⁸ 

Similarly, there are health conditions that may put you at greater risk of heart issues, including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).⁹ 

Research shows that when OSA is left untreated, the risk of heart failure increases by 140% and the risk of coronary heart disease goes up by 30%.²  Here we take a closer look at how sleep apnea can impact the heart.  

Obesity, sleep apnea, and heart disease  

It’s well established that obesity is a serious risk factor for sleep apnea and heart disease. When obesity is coupled with sleep apnea, the risk of heart disease is even greater. However, OSA by itself can also increase your risk of heart disease, with or without obesity. Like obesity, this sleep disorder can act independently and has been associated with other conditions that can have a negative effect on your heart including, but not limited to, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and unhealthy cholesterol levels.^3,4,5,6 

High blood pressure and heart disease  

OSA can increase your risk of high blood pressure or hypertension. Sleep apnea causes your blood oxygen levels to drop suddenly which increases blood pressure and can, in turn, put pressure on your heart.⁷ Unmanaged, high blood pressure can in time damage and block your arteries, decreasing the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart.  

Changes in chest pressure and heart disease   
When you have sleep apnea, you are trying to breathe with a narrowed or even closed airway. Instead of inhaling and exhaling normally, you are trying to force air in and out of your lungs, which can cause substantial changes in pressure within your chest cavity. If sleep apnea is left untreated, these constant changes in pressure can damage your heart and lead to problems with blood flow to the heart as well as heart failure.⁷ 

Oxidative stress and heart disease   
With sleep apnea, the amount of air entering your airway is constantly fluctuating. This is caused by the ongoing interruptions to your respiration during sleep as you temporarily stop breathing before inhaling again.   

When you gasp for air, this finally delivers the oxygen you desperately need. However, the ongoing imbalance in your oxygen levels has been associated with significant stress on the body. This is called oxidative stress, which can damage body tissues and cells. Studies have shown oxidative stress may increase the risk of heart disease by triggering an inflammatory response.¹⁰ 

See, What is sleep apnea? and What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

The content is for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for the medical advice of one’s healthcare provider.