Can You Eat Your Way to Better Sleep?
You’ve heard that, “You are what you eat,” but did you know that there’s some truth to, “You sleep how you eat?” There are many ways to promote better sleep, and diet is one of them.
Is Untreated Sleep Apnea Hard on Your Heart?
February is American Heart Month, and you may wonder what that has to do with sleep apnea. As it turns out, quite a bit. The connection between sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease is strong, especially among people who aren’t getting the right treatment for their sleep apnea. In fact, people with untreated sleep apnea are twice as likely to have a heart attack than those who don’t have the sleep disorder.
So, in honor of American Heart Month, the teams here at South County Sleep Solutions and Prescott Sleep Solutions, under the direction of Dr. Dana J. Rockey, provide a closer look at some of the cardiovascular consequences associated with untreated obstructive sleep apnea.
What we mean by untreated sleep apnea
Let’s first discuss an important point about sleep apnea — much of it isn’t recognized. Experts estimate that about 39 million adults in the United States have obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which soft tissues at the back of the throat collapse while you sleep, blocking your airway.
Since this condition arises during sleep, many people are unaware that they have sleep apnea or they think they only have a bad case of snoring, which is one of the most common symptoms. In fact, some researchers estimate that about 80% of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea cases are undiagnosed.
And, if the condition is undiagnosed, it’s also untreated.
Sleep apnea and your heart
As an adult, you benefit from 7-9 hours of sleep each night because your body uses this time to conduct some very important business. When you enter into restorative sleep mode, your heart rate and breathing rate decrease, while your body goes to work to rebuild and repair on a cellular level as well as rebalance your hormones.
When you have sleep apnea, each time your body arouses you to clear your airways, which can happen many times throughout the night, your sleep is disrupted. And each time this happens, your heart rate rises again, as does your blood pressure, which is why sleep apnea is closely associated with hypertension.
In addition to affecting your blood pressure, the sleep disruptions can also lead to higher levels of cortisol (stress hormone), which leads to system-wide inflammation that can adversely affect your cardiovascular health.
As well, obstructive sleep apnea is also linked to:
- Elevated levels of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins)
- Coronary artery disease
- Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, which can lead to heart failure
Each of these conditions can lead to very serious events, namely heart attacks and strokes.
Getting treatment for your sleep apnea
Our goal here is to underscore the importance of treating your sleep apnea so you can get a good night’s rest and avoid some potentially serious cardiovascular complications.
If you suspect you might have sleep apnea — you’ve heard that you snore or you’re experiencing daytime fatigue — we can organize a home sleep test for you. And, if we find that you do have sleep apnea, we can get you on the road to better heart and sleep health right away.
To learn more about sleep apnea and to undergo an evaluation for this common condition, please call us at 949-558-0554 in Newport Beach, California, or 928-235-6925 in Prescott, Arizona, to schedule an appointment.
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