Long-Term Effects of Sleep Apnea on Health

anxiety asthma blood-brain barrier cardiovascular health cortisol depression gerd ghrelin heart disease high blood pressure hormonal disorders hypoxia inflammation insulin insulin resistance leptin mental disorders obesity serotonin sleep apnea snoring stroke weight gain Sep 21, 2024

In the U.S., about 6 million adults are diagnosed with sleep apnea. However, as many as 39 million Americans are believed to have this condition.¹

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which your breathing stops and restarts frequently while you’re sleeping. There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central apnea. OSA, the more common form, results from blocked airflow through your upper airway. Meanwhile, central apnea happens because your brain fails to send signals to the muscles that control your breathing.^2,3

With sleep apnea, you’re likely to feel tired and sleepy during the day despite a full night’s sleep. And when left unmanaged, the condition can endanger your health in many ways:^4,5

Cardiovascular problems
Metabolic issues
Respiratory and digestive disorders
Mental dysfunction

To start off, let’s explore how sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

Cardiovascular problems

High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) affects about half of OSA patients. This relationship stems from the intermittent fall in blood oxygen and rise in carbon dioxide levels whenever you stop breathing because of OSA. Hypertension is a well-known risk factor for heart disease.^6,7,8

There are other ways that OSA can damage your heart. Oxidative stress associated with OSA can promote inflammation in the lining of your blood vessels, raising the likelihood of heart damage. Also, the blocked upper airway in OSA constrains your air inhalation. This forced intake of air brings about considerable changes in pressure within your chest cavity. In the long haul, the repetitive pressure swings can damage your heart.^9,10

Plus, OSA can put you at risk of right-sided heart failure (RHF). In this type of heart disease, your heart becomes too weak to pump enough blood to your lungs. So, blood accumulates in your veins, and fluid gets pushed out into your tissues. Over time, RHF can progress to congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF is a long-term condition in which your heart no longer pumps adequate blood to meet your body’s needs. As a result, blood builds up in your other body parts, especially your lungs, legs, and feet.^4,11

Having OSA also makes you more prone to an ischemic stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). An ischemic stroke occurs because of obstructed blood flow to your brain. Sometimes, the blockage of blood flow lasts for just a few minutes and causes temporary symptoms. This situation is called TIA, also known as a mini-stroke. Roughly 30 percent of people with TIA will have a stroke later on. The likelihood of ischemic stroke is further increased by hypertension, inflammation, and heart failure.^4,12,13

Metabolic issues

Sleep apnea elevates your levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin lets you feel full after eating. But over time, having too much of this hormone makes you resistant to it — which means you can’t feel satisfied even when you’ve eaten enough. Ghrelin, on the other hand, drives hunger. High ghrelin levels make you constantly hungry, prompting excessive food intake.^4,14

In addition, sleep apnea contributes to insulin resistance — a condition in which your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond well to insulin and can’t easily take up glucose from your blood. Studies suggest that the intermittent hypoxia (low oxygen levels) in sleep apnea impairs your pancreas’ ability to secrete insulin and impacts your cells’ responsiveness to the hormone.^15,16

All the above hormonal changes set the stage for weight gain, increasing your risk of obesity.^4,16

But the opposite is true as well: Being obese puts you at a greater risk of sleep apnea. Excess weight is often deposited around your neck. This fat buildup puts pressure on your airway, making it more likely to collapse during sleep. Excess body fat can also compress your chest wall and thus lower your lung capacity. This means less air gets to pass through your airway, promoting sleep apnea.^4,17

Respiratory and digestive disorders

Asthma is a chronic disease caused by inflammation and narrowing of the small airways in your lungs. Sleep apnea can trigger asthma in several ways.^18,19,20

First, sleep apnea promotes inflammation of the airways. One contributor to this inflammation is intermittent hypoxia. Another is mechanical stress on the upper airway brought about by vibrations during snoring — a typical symptom of sleep apnea.^19,20

Second, sleep apnea increases the activity of your vagus nerve. This complex nerve — which runs from your brain through your face and neck to your abdomen — controls many involuntary functions of your body, such as digestion, immunity, and heart rate. An overactive vagus nerve stimulates receptors in your lungs. As a result, the airways narrow, making an asthma attack more likely.^19,21

Third, having sleep apnea makes you more prone to developing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is a condition in which stomach acid is released into your esophagus instead of staying in your stomach, where it belongs. Sleep apnea induces changes in pressure within your esophagus, which can contribute to acid reflux and GERD.²²

GERD is known to activate your vagus nerve too. Plus, severe GERD can allow acid and other fluids from your stomach to reach your lungs, injuring your lung airways. Such injury can induce or worsen asthma.¹⁹

Mental and emotional problems

Based on studies, up to 55 percent of sleep apnea patients suffer from depression and anxiety. Research also indicates an association between sleep apnea and cognitive issues.^4,23,24

Sleep disruptions in sleep apnea can impair the function of the “happy hormone” serotonin, contributing to depressed feelings. Plus, intermittent hypoxia raises your blood cortisol levels. High cortisol interferes with your glucose metabolism and is associated with anxiety.^25,26

What’s more, inflammation due to intermittent hypoxia can damage the small blood vessels in your brain. Impaired vessels, in turn, restrict blood flow to various brain parts. These events induce white matter damage and abnormalities, as well as gray matter loss — changes that often manifest as depression.²⁷

Additionally, inflammation in your brain can damage your blood-brain barrier (BBB). This layer of cells prevents dangerous substances from entering your brain. BBB dysfunction injures your nerve cells and weakens connections between them. The resulting loss of structure and function of these cells drives problems with memory, attention, and other mental processes.^27,28

Conclusion

Sleep apnea doesn’t just make you tired and sleepy after a night of frequent sleep disruptions. In the long term, this disorder can lead to serious problems with your heart, blood vessels, and respiratory and digestive organs. Sleep apnea can interfere with your mood and mental capacity too.

Fortunately, a natural, long-lasting solution to sleep apnea is one click away. Sign up for the Snoring Diet Solution to find out more.

References

Long-Term Effects of Sleep Apnea on Health

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