Hormonal
Repeated exposure to severe intermittent hypoxia (simulating obstructive sleep apnea) for 14 nights causes a sustained elevation in daytime blood pressure and increased muscle sympathetic nerve activity in healthy humans, driven by reduced baroreflex inhibition.
If you have sleep apnea, even if you feel healthy, the repeated drops in oxygen at night can raise your blood pressure and stress your nervous system during the day. This happens because your body's natural braking system for blood pressure (baroreflex) becomes less effective, leading to higher sympathetic activity. Treating sleep apnea is crucial to prevent this sustained daytime blood pressure elevation.
These data are the first to show that the arterial pressure rise is sustained throughout the waking hours beyond the acute phase immediately after exposure. Moreover, they may suggest that sympathoactivation induced by IH likely contributes to blood pressure elevation and may derive from reduced baroreflex inhibition.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial design with healthy subjects, rigorous 24-hour ambulatory monitoring, and direct neural recording (MSNA), though small sample size (n=12).
Source
14 nights of intermittent hypoxia elevate daytime blood pressure and sympathetic activity in healthy humans
Renaud Tamisier et al. · European Respiratory Journal · 2010
DOI 10.1183/09031936.00204209
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