By: centraljersey.com
Failing to get a good night’s sleep can have far worse repercussions than simply missing your favorite TV show because you conk out on the couch after dinner. In fact, routine sleep deprivation can have serious effects on your cardiovascular health.
Chronic sleep deprivation – regularly getting less than six hours of sleep a night – not only leads to sleepiness and reduced productivity during the day, but also has been shown to increase inflammation in the body, which can have negative effects on your heart.
Sleep deprivation has several causes, including obstructive sleep apnea, characterized by repetitive interruptions of breathing during sleep due to the collapse of the airway in the back of the throat.
If left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can be a major risk factor for high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, stroke, diabetes, and cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation.
Of the 15 million adults in the United States suffering from sleep apnea, at least half have high blood pressure that can be difficult to control without addressing the underlying sleep disorder, according to the American Heart Association.
If you have high blood pressure or any other heart condition, you should be screened for obstructive sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway. This usually causes your oxygen level to drop and your carbon dioxide level to rise, sending a signal to your brain to wake you up. When this happens your adrenaline rises, causing your blood pressure to spike temporarily – at first.
Over time, however, your blood pressure stops recovering to a normal level and remains high – morning, noon and night. Any patient with newly diagnosed hypertension should be screened for obstructive sleep apnea.
Symptoms of sleep apnea and other sleep disorders include:
– Snoring, gasping or choking during sleep.
– Daytime sleepiness.
– Waking in the morning feeling unrefreshed.
– Multiple awakenings during the night. – Restless body movements during the night.
– Dry mouth in the morning.
– Morning headaches.
– Daytime memory and concentration problems and irritability.
Often times, your bed partner is the first person to observe these signs and will know if you snore regularly and/or stop breathing during your sleep.
It’s also important to note that sleep apnea is more prevalent in men, patients who are overweight and patients with cardiovascular disease.
A simple step: A sleep study, usually conducted overnight, is the first step toward diagnosing sleep disorders and heart conditions.
University Medical Center at Princeton’s state-of-the art Sleep Center is fully accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to diagnose and treat sleep disorders in children and adults. In addition to overnight sleep studies, the center provides daytime sleep assessments and uses a multidisciplinary approach to develop individualized treatment plans.
The most common treatment for sleep apnea is a continuous positive airway pressure device – or CPAP. Used while you sleep, a CPAP is a machine hooked to a simple mask that pushes air into your nose and mouth at a pressure high enough to prevent blockages in the airway. Patients often notice a boost in their energy level and report feeling refreshed after finally getting a good night’s sleep.
In addition to CPAP therapy for sleep apnea, your physician may also recommend medication to help further control your blood pressure. Your doctor may also suggest losing weight, avoiding alcohol and quitting smoking as part of the treatment plan.
If you’re not getting enough quality sleep, don’t ignore the problem. You risk more than grogginess and fatigue: you risk your cardiovascular health.
For more information about University Medical Center at Princeton’s fully accredited Sleep Center or to find a physician with Princeton HealthCare System, call 888-742-7496 or visit www.princetonhcs.org.
Ashgan Elshinawy, D.O., is board-certified in pulmonology and sleep medicine and is a member of the medical staff at University Medical Center at Princeton
