Do you know untreated sleep apnea can lead to heart disease?

Why do apnea and sleep disorders lead to heart problems?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, researchers aren’t entirely sure why we need sleep to maintain a healthy heart. However, they have been able to observe that certain biological functions are disrupted when we awaken frequently in the night or experience sleep deprivation on a regular basis.

When these disruptions happen (for example, if you stop breathing while sleeping), hormonal and chemical imbalances occur that trigger inflammation, high blood pressure, reduction in blood oxygen levels, and changes in how you metabolize sugar. Together, these changes lay the groundwork for heart disease to take hold.

Inflammation, for example, is associated with a dysfunction of the lining of blood vessels. This condition can then turn into atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in artery walls). Left unchecked, these plaque-clogged arteries can cause atherothrombosis (a blood clot that forms in a vessel, cutting off blood and oxygen flow). This can result in a stroke or acute coronary syndrome a decrease of blood flow to the heart muscle, which leads the heart to malfunction or die. This is how lack of sleep turns into heart disease: by creating a chain of events that culminate in potentially serious damage, or even death.

Some specific dangers to your heart stemming from untreated Obstructed Sleep Apnea include:
• Coronary artery disease. Inflammation, combined with cholesterol-heavy plaque deposits in the arteries, damages the arteries’ ability to carry nutrients to the heart. Over time the heart becomes diseased and weakened.
• Congestive heart failure. The heart weakens and cannot pump and fill with blood effectively. When it fails to circulate nutrients like it should, the kidneys respond by creating fluid buildup in the organs and throughout the body.
• Cardiac arrhythmia. This electrical signal malfunction creates an irregular heart rhythm, either too fast or too slow. Arrhythmias can be mild, but they can also lead to fainting or cardiac arrest (a stopping of the heart).
• Cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is an abrupt electrical malfunction of the heart that leads to a loss of function (the heart stops). It’s often linked to ventricular fibrillation (v-fib), a type of arrhythmia where chambers of the heartbeat rapidly without pumping blood. It can be reversed with emergency medicine, but without treatment it is often fatal within minutes.
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack). Sometimes, a piece of plaque in an artery can break off from the vessel walls. If a clot forms around it, it become large enough to block the flow of blood to the heart. The heart can’t get enough oxygen and the muscle begins to die. Heart attacks can cause permanent damage to the heart, but they are not necessarily fatal if you seek treatment right away.
• High blood pressure (hypertension). When the force of the blood flowing through your vessels is consistently too high, your circulatory system can sustain damage that can lead to heart attack and stroke (and many other conditions). High blood pressure is a silent killer affecting about 85 million Americans over the age of 20.
• Pulmonary Hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is a condition when pressure in the lung gets high. It can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Pulmonary hypertension is present in approximately 20 percent of patients with moderate to severe OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) and may be associated with decreased survival.

Untreated Obstructed Sleep Apnea can also lead to related conditions like metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, pre-diabetes, and stroke. Only a sleep specialist can diagnose you for Obstructed Sleep Apnea or Central Sleep Apnea. If you wake up tired and have the symptoms in combination with one or more of the following risk factors, you may want to see a specialist. Remember, the high cost of untreated sleep apnea is not worth putting off a doctor’s visit or beginning treatment.

Risk factors for Central Apnea:
• Older (over 40)
• Congestive heart failure
• Stroke
• Narcotics use (for example, opioids/pain medications)

Risk factors for Obstructed Sleep Apnea:
• Male (any age)
• Female, post-menopausal
• Older (over 40)
• Heavy/obese
• Narrow airway
• Thicker neck circumference (more than 17 inches in men or 15 inches in women)
• Family history of sleep apnea
• Smoking
• Drug or alcohol use
• Nasal congestion (from allergies or anatomical issues)

Port Charlotte Cardiology
(941) 235-8892
www.portcharlottecardiology.com