Sleep apnea is when someone stops breathing for short periods while they’re asleep. The most common type is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
In OSA, something blocks or narrows the airway, usually relaxed throat muscles. This condition affects about one billion people around the world.
The Study
A group of scientists at Flinders University in Australia did a study on sleep apnea.
They found out that people whose sleep apnea changes a lot from night to night are more likely to have high blood pressure that isn’t controlled well.
Why This is Important
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is bad for our bodies. It can hurt our heart and other organs, make our heart beat weirdly, and even lead to memory problems.
If someone’s blood pressure changes a lot, this can increase their risk of having these health problems.
Dr. Bastien Lechat, the main author of the study, said that people with high variability in their sleep apnea severity have a 50% to 70% higher chance of having uncontrolled hypertension.
This means that how much your sleep apnea changes from night to night might be a clue to whether your blood pressure is being managed well.
How They Did It
The Flinders University team used a special tool for their study. They placed a sensor under the mattress of the participants’ beds.
This sensor could monitor how well the participants were sleeping and how severe their sleep apnea was.
They used this sensor to collect data from 12,287 adults over about 180 nights. The adults also had about 30 blood pressure tests during this time.
The Results and What They Mean
The study found that there is a lot of variation in how severe someone’s sleep apnea is from night to night.
This is important because doctors usually only do a sleep test for one night. If someone’s sleep apnea changes a lot, one night might not give the whole picture.
Professor Danny Eckert, a top sleep researcher at Flinders University, said that their study shows that high night-to-night variability in sleep apnea severity could contribute to heart disease.
Heart disease is one of the main causes of death in the world.
Because of this, the team thinks that new ways of monitoring sleep apnea could be very helpful. This would be simpler than the current way of doing things, which involves a lot of work and can be expensive.
The Takeaway
If you or someone you know has sleep apnea, this study shows why it’s so important to manage it well.
Not only can it lead to bad sleep, but it can also affect your blood pressure and increase your risk for heart problems.
It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor about any sleep problems you have. They can help you find the best treatment for you.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and scientists find drugs that treat sleep loss, and insomnia effectively.
For more information about blood pressure, please read studies about a key contributor to high blood pressure, and your age may determine which blood pressure number matters most.
The study was published in npj Digital Medicine.
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