How Sleep Apnea Affects the Heart and Why It Matters

Sleep apnea doesn’t just affect your sleep – it can also affect your heart. When you repeatedly stop and start breathing during the night, it places real stress on the cardiovascular system. Over time, this can contribute to high blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, and other heart-related conditions.

Many people don’t realize their sleep apnea is tied to their heart symptoms until they seek treatment. That’s why early recognition and effective management are important. If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea or suspect you might have this condition, learning how sleep apnea affects the heart may help you take the next step toward protecting your long-term well-being.

How Sleep Apnea Affects the Heart During the Night

When a person has sleep apnea, their airway becomes partially or fully blocked during sleep. Each time this happens, the body senses a drop in oxygen levels and reacts by briefly waking up to reopen the airway. These interruptions may last only seconds, but they can occur dozens or even hundreds of times per night, often without the person realizing it.

This cycle of disrupted breathing triggers a “fight or flight” response, even during sleep. The brain signals the release of stress hormones like adrenaline, which increase heart rate and blood pressure. Over time, this repeated strain puts pressure on the heart and blood vessels. The result can be a higher risk of developing heart rhythm problems (such as atrial fibrillation), coronary artery disease, and even heart failure.

Sleep apnea also reduces the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. When oxygen levels drop, the heart has to work harder to deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the body. For people who already have heart disease, this added burden can worsen existing symptoms and raise the risk of cardiac events.

Because the effects of untreated sleep apnea on the heart often happen silently, it’s important to take sleep-related symptoms seriously.

Why Sleep Apnea Raises the Risk of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is one of the most common heart-related effects of sleep apnea. During normal sleep, blood pressure naturally dips. But for people with sleep apnea, the repeated breathing interruptions prevent the body from reaching and maintaining deep, restful sleep. Each time oxygen levels drop, the nervous system responds by narrowing blood vessels and raising blood pressure to maintain circulation.

This constant cycle keeps the body in a state of alert, even at night. Over time, a person’s blood pressure may remain elevated during the day as well. People with untreated sleep apnea are more likely to develop hypertension, and those already managing high blood pressure may find it harder to control.

In fact, resistant hypertension – high blood pressure that doesn’t respond well to medication – is sometimes a symptom of undiagnosed sleep apnea. That’s why doctors often screen patients for sleep-disordered breathing when their blood pressure remains high despite treatment. Addressing sleep apnea can help break this cycle.

How Treating Sleep Apnea Can Support Heart Health

Treating sleep apnea cannot only improve your sleep but also directly benefit the health of your heart. By keeping the airway open and reducing nighttime oxygen drops, treatment reduces the stress placed on the cardiovascular system. One option for many people is an oral appliance, which can be a comfortable and effective alternative to a CPAP machine. When used consistently, treatment can support the heart in several important ways, including:

• Lowering Blood Pressure – By minimizing the frequency of nighttime oxygen disruptions, treatment helps restore normal sleep patterns and allows blood pressure to dip as it should during the night.
• Reducing Strain on the Heart – Keeping the airway open reduces the number of times the body enters a state of stress, which helps lighten the workload on the heart.
• Improving Oxygen Delivery – With more stable breathing throughout the night, the heart doesn’t need to work as hard to compensate for low oxygen levels.
• Decreasing the Risk of Arrhythmias – Treating sleep apnea may lower the likelihood of developing or worsening heart rhythm disorders, such as atrial fibrillation.
• Supporting Long-Term Heart Health – Managing sleep apnea may reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke.

Contact Silent Night Therapy to Discuss Sleep Apnea Treatment

Have you been suffering with obstructive sleep apnea, or are you worried about whether your apnea episodes are putting you at risk of high blood pressure? Reach out to Silent Night Therapy today at (631) 983-2463 to learn more about how we can help you pursue a better night’s sleep through oral appliance therapy.