For many people, the idea of a heart specialist treating sleep apnoea might seem unexpected. After all, isn’t sleep apnoea more of a breathing or sleep disorder? It turns out, though, that this condition can significantly impact the heart, making cardiologists a key part of its treatment and management. Here, we’ll dive into why heart specialists are often involved in sleep apnoea cases, how sleep apnoea affects the heart, and what this partnership means for your health.
What Is Sleep Apnoea?
Sleep apnoea is a condition where you stop breathing briefly during sleep, sometimes dozens or even hundreds of times a night. The most common type, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), occurs when the muscles in your throat relax too much and block your airway. Central sleep apnoea is less common and happens when your brain doesn’t send the right signals to the muscles that control breathing.
These breathing pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a minute, often causing your body to wake up slightly, disrupting sleep. As a result, people with sleep apnoea may feel extremely fatigued, have trouble concentrating, and even suffer from memory problems due to poor sleep quality. But the bigger concern is how sleep apnoea affects the heart and cardiovascular system.
How Does Sleep Apnoea Affect Your Heart?
Sleep apnoea doesn’t just disturb your sleep—it also stresses your heart. Here’s how:
- Blood Pressure Spikes – Every time you stop breathing, the oxygen levels in your blood drop. Your body responds by increasing your blood pressure to improve oxygen flow, putting strain on your blood vessels. Over time, this can contribute to high blood pressure (hypertension).
- Increased Heart Rate – As your body panics from a lack of oxygen, it releases stress hormones like adrenaline. This can lead to an elevated heart rate, even during sleep. Over time, the constant strain on your heart can lead to heart problems.
- Higher Risk of Arrhythmias – Sleep apnoea is linked to arrhythmias, which are irregular heartbeats. The sudden drops in oxygen can trigger these irregularities, sometimes causing the heart to skip a beat or beat out of rhythm. In severe cases, this can lead to more serious complications like atrial fibrillation.
- Heart Disease and Stroke – Sleep apnoea can put people at a higher risk of developing heart disease, heart attacks, and even stroke. The ongoing strain on the cardiovascular system creates conditions that increase the likelihood of these serious health events.
In other words, sleep apnoea isn’t just a “sleep problem.” It’s a full-body issue that can impact heart health, making cardiologists essential in managing this condition.
Why Are Heart Specialists Involved in Treating Sleep Apnoea?
Since sleep apnoea can have serious implications for the heart, heart specialists play an important role in diagnosing and managing the condition. Here’s why:
- Screening and diagnosis – Many people with sleep apnoea don’t know they have it. Heart specialists are well-positioned to notice warning signs like high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and other heart-related issues that may signal sleep apnoea. When these indicators show up, cardiologists may suggest a sleep study to confirm if sleep apnoea is present.
- Comprehensive heart health – Treating sleep apnoea often improves heart health. Cardiologists can monitor patients to see how treatments like CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy impact blood pressure, heart rate, and overall cardiovascular health. The goal is to reduce the stress on the heart that sleep apnoea can cause.
- Preventing further heart problems – For those with existing heart issues, treating sleep apnoea can reduce the risk of worsening conditions. This is especially important for patients who are already dealing with hypertension, heart disease, or other cardiovascular problems, as untreated sleep apnoea can aggravate these conditions.
- Customised treatment plans – Heart specialists can develop treatment plans that address both sleep apnoea and any heart-related issues. For instance, they might recommend lifestyle changes, medications, or CPAP therapy, all tailored to reduce the burden on the heart.
How Do Cardiologists Treat Sleep Apnoea?
While cardiologists may not be the ones to prescribe a CPAP machine, they do work closely with sleep specialists and pulmonologists to manage the condition. Here’s what they might recommend:
- CPAP or BiPAP Therapy – Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a common treatment for sleep apnoea. It uses a mask to deliver air pressure, keeping your airways open while you sleep. Cardiologists may refer patients for CPAP therapy and track how well the treatment is working from a heart-health perspective.
- Lifestyle changes – Obesity, alcohol use, and smoking can all worsen sleep apnoea and put additional strain on the heart. Cardiologists often suggest weight loss, reducing alcohol intake, and quitting smoking to help reduce sleep apnoea symptoms and protect the heart.
- Medication adjustments – Some medications can exacerbate sleep apnoea symptoms. A cardiologist might adjust blood pressure or heart medications to help reduce the condition’s impact on heart health.
- Monitoring for heart conditions – Cardiologists may closely monitor for arrhythmias or worsening hypertension, especially in patients with severe sleep apnoea, to catch and address any complications early.
What Does This Mean for You?
If you’re diagnosed with sleep apnoea, working with a heart specialist is one of the best steps you can take to protect your long-term health. While it may seem unusual at first, having a cardiologist involved means you’re getting comprehensive care that addresses both the immediate symptoms of sleep apnoea and its potential impacts on your heart.
Even if you don’t have a diagnosed heart problem, managing sleep apnoea can reduce your risk of developing one down the line. If you experience common sleep apnoea symptoms, such as loud snoring, morning headaches, or excessive daytime fatigue, it’s worth bringing these up with your primary care physician or even directly with your cardiologist.
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Sleep apnoea might start as a sleep disorder, but it’s one with ripple effects that can impact your entire cardiovascular system. Heart specialists play an essential role in recognising, managing, and minimising these risks, often working hand-in-hand with other specialists to provide complete care. By addressing sleep apnoea early and managing it with the help of a cardiologist, you’re not just improving your sleep—you’re taking vital steps to protect your heart health.
If you have any questions about how sleep apnoea might be affecting your heart or want to learn more about your treatment options, don’t hesitate to reach out to The Heart Specialist International.
We’re here to help you achieve the healthiest heart—and sleep—you can have.
