High blood pressure could be triggered by sleep apnoea, warned ITV This Morning’s Dr Ranj Singh.
The common condition causes regular interrupted sleep, where the muscles in the throat relax.
It causes a temporary blockage of the airway, causing patients to wake up gasping for air.
Persistent sleep apnoea could trigger a number of conditions, including high blood pressure, warned Dr Ranj.
“When we got to sleep, all of our body relaxes, including our airway – particularly our upper airway,” said Dr Ranj.
“Your airway flops back, and becomes narrower. Therefore the flow of air in and out of your lungs will decrease.
“Sometimes, if it slops back too much, it stops the airflow altogether and you stop breathing.
“You might get noisy breathing, you might start to snore.
“If you stop breathing completely, your blood CO2 level goes up, and your brain wakes you up, and thinks ‘right, you need to wake up and breathe’.
“If you do this a lot, if you suffer from it over a long period of time, the it puts you at increased risk of high blood pressure, even heart attacks and strokes.”
Sleep apnoea could be treated by making some small lifestyle changes, including losing weight, and cutting back on alcohol.
Some patients also benefit from sleeping on their side, added the NHS
Alternatively, try using a continuous positive airway pressure device. It prevents the airway from closing while you sleep.
Surgery could help to treat the problem, if it’s caused by a physical problem, including nasal congestion or a deviated septum.
It’s important to speak to a doctor about sleep apnoea, as it increases the risk of diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes.
High blood pressure is often known as “the silent killer”, because there aren’t usually any signs that you have the condition.
But, if you have extremely high blood pressure, there may be some characteristic symptoms to look out for.
Persistent headaches, chest pain and vision problems could all be signs of hypertension.
All adults over 40 years old should check their blood pressure at least every five years.
Speak to a GP or pharmacist to check your risk of hypertension.