Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the causes of chronic heart failure (CHF).
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to optimally perform its function and provide normal blood circulation in organs and tissues. In the development of CHF, insufficient oxygen supply to the heart muscle, provoked by obstructive sleep apnea, plays a role.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by recurring episodes of respiratory arrest during sleep, which last up to a minute or more, cause a strong stress response in the body and have a detrimental effect primarily on the heart. Periodic cessation (apnea) or decrease (hypopnea) of oxygen supply is accompanied by a drop in the content of oxyhemoglobin, which leads to direct damage to the myocardium.
Each time you stop breathing, your heart rate increases, your blood pressure rises, and your heart is forced to work harder in the absence of oxygen. Breathing stops stimulate the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. At the same time, the level of adrenaline in the blood rises, the demand for oxygen in the myocardium increases, and the intensity of the work of the heart increases. The heart is forced to contract intensively, while it does not receive resources to ensure its work. This causes damage to it.
Stops in breathing, as well as the increased workload on the heart and oxygen starvation associated with it, increase the risk of heart failure. Heart failure in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea is always very rapidly progressing, that is, its course worsens.
About 40% of people with heart failure have sleep-related breathing problems. In this regard, there is a need for timely diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. This is important for preventing heart failure, slowing down its development and improving the patient’s quality of life.
A detailed analysis of disorders that occur in a person during sleep is carried out using polysomnography. This study includes the simultaneous recording of many indicators of the functioning of organs: electroencephalograms, electrooculograms, electromyograms, respiratory flow, blood oxygen saturation, etc. diagnosis and find out all the necessary details about the quality of a person’s sleep.
Timely treatment of breathing disorders during sleep can significantly reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The most commonly used and effective treatment for sleep apnea is CPAP therapy. It eliminates pauses in breathing during sleep, which means it stops the harmful effects of pauses in breathing on the state of the heart. In addition, from the first night of treatment, it reduces and eliminates daytime sleepiness, lowers blood pressure and helps to get rid of other symptoms of sleep apnea.
The use of the best advanced CPAP devices Prisma Line from the new line of Weinmann-Loewenstein (Germany) allows the most efficient and comfortable treatment of the entire spectrum of respiratory disorders in patients suffering from sleep apnea and heart failure.