High blood pressure

Sleep apnoea can lead to life-threatening high blood pressure, the most significant risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

Today, doctors agree that sleep apnoea can cause an extremely high blood pressure level (hypertension). High blood pressure promotes the development of serious cardiovascular diseases such as strokes and heart attacks. It is therefore important to investigate the cause of the high blood pressure and to take action against it. Up to now, most patients had no option but to undergo life-long medicinal treatment for high blood pressure. The possible side effects are e.g. headaches, dizziness and sexual functional or virility disorders.

In the case of obstructive sleep apnoea, breathing is interrupted repeatedly (obstructive, Latin: “blocked” - Apnoea, Greek: “respiratory arrest”).

These pauses sometimes last longer than a minute before the sufferer gasps for air with an explosive snoring noise and simultaneously his breathing begins normally again.

The sufferer therefore permanently experiences waking reactions during the night, which cause a distribution of stress hormones. This repeatedly activates the so-called sympathetic nerve, which is responsible for high performance and preparedness in the body. This sympathetic nerve is part of the vegetative nervous system and increases blood pressure in the case of danger. As longer breathing pauses are life-threatening due to insufficient oxygen, the sympathetic nerve reacts and as such keeps the blood pressure at a permanently high level. Hardly surprising that it often proves difficult to regulate the blood pressure with medicine and without side effects when the body is constantly increasing the level.

If the actual cause of the high blood pressure, i.e. the obstructive sleep apnoea, is not recognised, the patients are taking the risk from a medical point of view of being prescribed the completely wrong treatment.

For example, medication to reduce blood pressure is prescribed, which is both detrimental to the symptoms of sleep apnoea as well as restricting the natural waking function negatively. This treatment would be more detrimental to the patient’s health than beneficial.

The respiratory interruptions at night caused by sleep apnoea lead to a low oxygen concentration in the blood. Consequently, the concentration of the so-called endothelin also increases – a hormone, which regulates the narrowing of the blood vessels.

The activation of this endothelin also increases blood pressure and the cardiovascular system is placed under even more stress due to the narrowed blood vessels.

In healthy people, the blood pressure generally sinks at night by 10% to 15%. In patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, the processes listed above lead to a dangerous increase in the natural blood pressure level. This then remains permanently at a poor level and is also increased during the day.

If a patient has high blood pressure that has been caused by obstructive sleep apnoea, he should react immediately. The sleep apnoea has to then be treated consistently to avoid life-threatening consequences such as heart attack or stroke.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is cured forever using the globally unique and pain-free surgical method  “Rotation Advancement” developed by Prof. Sailer. Following the operation, the sufferer almost always experiences a decrease  or, to a large extent, full normalisation of the blood pressure values.

Do you have any questions or would you like a personal consultation? We are happy to help.

Do you have any questions or would you like a personal consultation? We are happy to help.