How obstructive sleep apnea leads to hypertension, and how can dentists help avoid it?

Certain health conditions are underestimated by patients when it comes to life-threatening situations. While some can be diagnosed early, some take a long time, depending on the situation. The same is the case with obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension. Surprisingly, a dentist can help you avoid hypertension caused by obstructive sleep apnea by treating it. 

What is obstructive sleep apnea? How does it lead to hypertension?

Obstructive sleep apnea is when the patient goes through intermittent breathing that results in snoring or gasping during sleep. So, while the person is unconsciously sleeping, they may get prolonged breathing pauses, obstructing sleep quality throughout the night. 

As the person sleeps, the air passage muscles relax and create a temporary blockage, resulting in these pauses. As the brain gets the signal for lack of oxygen, It signals the body and breaks the sleep to open air pathways. 

This obstruction in sleep can cause a restless night for the brain, leading to hypertension after prolonged exposure. In technical terms, the repetitive increases of catecholamine levels in the body due to reflex chances aid in developing hypertension in your body. 

How to know if you have obstructive sleep apnea?

Here are some symptoms that can tell if you have obstructive sleep apnea: 

• Snoring that disturbs the sleep of people near you 
• Waking up during sleep in a choking or gasping situation 
• Feeling low energy levels or drowsiness during the day 
• Falling asleep during the day or at work 
• Falling asleep whenever you get to relax. 

If you repetitively get any of these symptoms, it could indicate that you have obstructive sleep apnea. 

How to know if you have hypertension?

You may not develop hypertension as soon as you start facing the obstructive sleep apnea problem. It will be a gradual process, and while you are getting hypertension, you may feel the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea as well as the following: 

• Shortness of breath 
• Frequent headaches 
• Nosebleeds 

These symptoms are not standard in everyone, and some people may even have difficulty breathing. 

What significant problems can you face due to this situation? 

If you get obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension due to it, your body may face some light while some severe issues the following: 

• Higher risks of developing heart problems, ultimately leading to heart attacks or stroke 
• You can feel chest pain
• Hypertension can cause vision problems by damaging blood vessels or swelling the optic nerve.
• The chances of heart failure because of the narrowing down of arteries increase
• With hypertension, the arteries near the kidneys may damage, resulting in kidney damage.
• Higher risk of PAD 
• Hypertension could lead to sexual dysfunction

How can dentists help avoid obstructive sleep apnea to treat hypertension? 

Obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension may cause several life-threatening situations, so you must treat this situation immediately. It might be surprising for many, but dentists can treat this condition. There are several treatments, including medicine, and some include surgery. Below are the details of different methods by which a dentist can help avoid hypertension. 

“Blessed are those who can hold lively conversations with the helplessly mute, for they shall be called dentists” – Ann Landers 

Diagnosis 

If your dentist suspects you have obstructive sleep apnea, he will examine the condition depending on some signs and symptoms. Sometimes, the person who sleeps near you may answer the questions better than you, as the diagnosis will begin with questions about sleep quality. 

The expert may also conduct a physical examination that will include a nose, mouth, and throat examination to see if there are any abnormalities in your tissues. This examination will consist of waist and neck circumference testing for some individuals. 

A sleep specialist may also be a part of your diagnosis as they will examine the condition and its severity, which is essential in determining your proper treatment. The sleep specialist may recommend you sleep at a sleep center, where they will monitor your breathing and other bodily functions during your sleep. 

The diagnosis part will also include some tests, including the following: 

• Polysomnography 
• Sleep apnea testing at home

Lifestyle Changes 

If your Obstructive sleep apnea is at the milder stage, the dentist will recommend you some lifestyle changes, including: 

• Weight loss for obese and overweight people 
• Regular exercising 
• Quit smoking
• Changing your sleeping position and not sleeping on the back 
• Change your medication and remove any pills that cause the muscles to relax during sleep 
• Not drinking alcohol at all. If you drink, not drinking several hours before your bedtime

The main aim of these lifestyle changes will be reducing any extra volume in the muscles in the air passage. When the muscles relax, if they are big enough, they may create a blockage, and excess fats in the body cause this issue every day. Secondly, the removal of alcohol and relaxant medicines aims at keeping your muscles a little less relaxed while you sleep. 

Positive Airway Pressure Therapy 

If the lifestyle changes do not benefit you, the dentist may try positive airway pressure therapy or CPAP. This therapy involves delivering air pressure through a mouthpiece that gives adequate air pressure while sleeping. With more air pressure than natural, the events leading to breathing disorders while you sleep will be reduced, making you sleep much better. 

In this therapy, you will breathe with a continuous pressure of air higher than the surroundings, which opens the upper air path. It might be one of the best treatments if you don't feel the mask is uncomfortable and loud and have no issues with machinery connected to you while you sleep. 

Some individuals don't find this method comfortable enough, and appliance therapy is the right solution. 

Dental Sleep Medicine and Appliance Therapy 

Dentists also specialize in treating problems related to loud snoring and sleep issues. So, if you are uncomfortable with positive air pressure therapy, the dentist may use oral appliance therapy. For this way of treating obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension, the doctor will use an oral device known as a mouthpiece. 

This therapy is effective for people with severe obstructive sleep apnea, as they cannot be treated with CPAP. The dentist will specially design the oral device, and it will keep your throat open. Installing this device will help keep your lower jaw a little forward during sleep or hold your tongue in a different place. 

The dentist will begin with a closer inspection to determine which makes the best choice for you. Close inspection also ensures that the teeth do not face any issues because of the oral device. 

Surgical Procedures

In the most severe cases, none of the therapy or lifestyle changes will work to treat your obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension issues. So, the last resort your dentist may suggest is getting surgical treatment. Different surgical treatments may be recommended, including: 

• Removal of tissue from the throat and back of your mouth. It will need a general anesthetic as well. 
• Upper airway simulation is a new device that is an impulse generator. It is implanted in the chest under your skin and detects breathing patterns. Whenever you face sleeping issues while sleeping, it simulates the nerve to move your tongue and resolves the problem. 
• Jaw surgery to move some parts of the jaw a little forward to enlarge the space behind the soft palate and tongue. 
• Tracheostomy, where doctors create a surgical opening in the patient's neck. 

All these surgical procedures may help treat life-threatening obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension. 

Conclusion 

Proper treatment for Obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension can save you from life-threatening situations. The solution to these problems is fixing your sleep; your dentist may help you. However, you can start by helping yourself by improving your lifestyle. Following your dentist's recommendation and the tips on lifestyle changes shared above, your treatment will become much more effective.

Contact your dentist in Union City, Dr. Zafar Sayeedi, at Noble Dental Care to learn more about Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Resource:

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

*This media/content or any other on this website does not prescribe, recommend, or prevent any treatment or procedure. Therefore, we highly recommend that you get the advice of a qualified dentist or other medical practitioners regarding your specific dental condition*