Can air pressure treatment for obstructive sleep apnea reduce blood pressure?

This study examined the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on blood pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. The authors concluded that CPAP treatment resulted in small but significant reductions in blood pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) refers to airways becoming completely or partially blocked during sleep. The symptoms of OSA include snoring, night sweats, and waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat. This condition can reduce the flow of oxygen to the organs and may lead to an irregular heartbeat, which can lead to elevated blood pressure.

OSA is an identified cause of hypertension. Patients with hypertension have a higher resting blood pressure than the body needs. The blood pressure needs to be lowered to avoid complications such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective treatment for OSA. This treatment involves the patient receiving mild air pressure continuously from a ventilator to keep the airways open. There is some evidence to suggest that CPAP treatment may reduce blood pressure.

This study looked at the effect of CPAP treatment on blood pressure in 1,166 patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Office blood pressure (blood pressure measured at a doctor’s office), day and night time blood pressure and mean blood pressure were measured. The results were compared to patients receiving a placebo or sham CPAP (no active treatment given) or treatment below the recommended levels.

CPAP treatment lead to a significant decrease of 3.2 mm Hg in office systolic blood pressure (SBP – pressure when the heart is contracting) and 2.87 mm Hg in office diastolic blood pressure (DBP – pressure when the heart is between beats).

Significant decreases of 4.92 mm Hg in night time SBP, 3.56 mm Hg in mean 24-hour blood pressure, 2.56 mm Hg in mean night time blood pressure, and 3.46 mm Hg in 24-hour DBP were seen. No significant change was observed in daytime SBP and daytime DBP.

This study concluded that CPAP treatment for sleep apnea can result in small but significant decreases in blood pressure. 

These results are combined from a number of different studies where treatment duration, controls used and study outcomes varied.

Consult with your physician to explore your treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension.