ANCSLEEP BLOG

Those who know little about sleep apnea oftentimes don't know how exactly it relates to changes in blood pressure. However, sleep apnea can cause a significant and sometimes dangerous increase in blood pressure.

Sleep apnea is defined by the National Sleep Foundation as "a sleep disorder in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep." Blood pressure is technically defined as the strength of one's blood pushing against the sides of blood vessels (also known as one's systolic blood pressure).

If an individual has untreated sleep apnea, there is a much greater chance that he or she may develop high blood pressure. Both sleep apnea and high blood pressure can lead to the development of life-threatening conditions.

More and more research is being released indicating a connection between sleep apnea and diabetes. Specifically, obstructive sleep apnea (also known as OSA and defined as when the muscles in the throat relax and block the airway during sleep) has been proven time and time again to play a direct part in causing insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and type 2 diabetes. Individuals who are diagnosed with or may have obstructive sleep apnea are therefore at risk for developing both symptoms of OSA in addition to a long-term metabolic disorder.

Sleep apnea, a disorder where an individual's breathing recurrently starts and stops, impacts an estimated 22 million Americans. Shockingly, approximately 80% of those affected have moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea and are undiagnosed. Given these statistics, it's alarming to know that sleep apnea can trigger side effects that can cause harm to a critical organ in your body: the brain.

In this day and age, there are plenty of reasons to stay awake. Our workaholic, technology-infused culture is constantly tempting us to sacrifice sleep for stimulation. In 2016, the Center for Disease Control published a study finding that as many as a third of adults living in the United States of America are not getting enough sleep at night.

Wayne Giles, M.D. and director of the CDC's Division of Population Health, stated, "As a nation, we are not getting enough sleep."

In the wake of this news, we're driven to ask the following questions:

• Why aren't Americans getting enough sleep?
• How much sleep do I need and why?
• What can I do to get a quality night's rest?

What is Sleep Apnea

There are three types of sleep apnea. (1) Obstructive sleep apnea is caused when the upper airway becomes blocked during sleep. This blockage greatly reduces or completely stops airflow, and is usually accompanied by loud snoring.

(2) Central sleep apnea is a type of sleep apnea that is caused when the brain does not send signals to the respiratory muscles needed to breathe during sleep. This type of sleep apnea is not accompanied by snoring.

Sometimes, a person can have both obstructive and central sleep apneas, which is called (3) complex sleep apnea syndrome.

Negative Side Effects of Sleeping Disorders

The majority of individuals who seek professional help for their sleeping disorder admit that they waited too long. Their record of adverse symptoms is usually long. After receiving treatment, the most common exclamation sleep specialists hear from patients is, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

Indeed, those who suffer from undiagnosed sleeping disorders likely suffer from numerous symptoms that make life uncomfortable. If you have an untreated sleeping disorder, it’s probable that you might be experiencing one or more of the negative side effects listed below.

What is Sleep Apnea?

According to The National Sleep Foundation, sleep apnea is defined as “a sleep disorder in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep.”

The three most prevalent types of sleep apnea are:

• Obstructive sleep apnea: The most commonly known type of sleep apnea marked by the relaxation of the throat muscles (accounting for about 85% of all cases)
• Central sleep apnea: A rarer condition wherein the the brain fails to send the correct signals to muscles that control breathing (accounting for less than 1% of cases)
• Complex sleep apnea syndrome: Diagnosed when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea

Improving Sleep Time/Quality Takes Effort in 21^st Century

As great as modern technology and global access to goods and services are, they have made it significantly harder to get a good night’s rest. It’s reasonable to assume that people 100 years ago probably slept better and longer than people today.

Why? Common reasons people don’t get quality sleep or sleep long enough are:

• Media before bed time
• Diet
• Too much light
• Too much noise
• Too much energy
• Medical conditions (insomnia, sleep apnea)

All of these points affect our ability to regulate melatonin production (the hormone that regulates sleep). In practical terms, this list points out that in our environment, we are surrounded by things that keep us from getting the sleep we need:

• Phones, laptops, tablets, and TVs in the bedroom;
• Unlimited access to coffee;
• Alcohol;
• Lights and noise from gentrified; and
• Sitting in a chair all day at work.

In the 21^st century, you need to make a concerted effort to get better sleep. Let’s look at 5 easy ways to improve sleep time and quality.

What is Insomnia?

“Insomnia” is a word that most people frequently toss around to describe cases of sleeplessness. However, the disorder is actually a complicated umbrella term that includes multiple conditions varying in severity.

Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, even when a person has the chance to do so.

No matter the type of insomnia, those who suffer from the condition commonly complain of the same symptoms:

• Waking during the night

• Waking too early

• Fatigue during the day

• Irritability

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Difficulty concentrating

• Increased worry

• Increased accidents

Sleep apnea is a group of sleeping breathing-related sleep disorders that cause low levels of oxygen to circulate through the body at night. There are three types of sleep apnea: 

• Obstructive or obstructive sleep apnea
• Non-obstructive or central sleep apnea
• Mixed: called complex sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by obstruction from the upper airway becoming blocked during sleep. This blockage greatly reduces or completely stops airflow, and is usually accompanied by loud snoring.

Central sleep apnea is caused when the brain does not send signals needed to breathe during sleep. This type of sleep apnea is not accompanied by snoring, does not involve obstruction, and is far less common than OSA.

Complex sleep apnea is accompanied by characteristics of both central and obstructive sleep apnea.

In all cases, the common consequence is the inability to get restful sleep.