Some research has already shown how impaired breathing in sleep apnea causes high blood pressure and theIntestinal flora influenced. A relatively rare central apnea occurs when the brain does not send appropriate signals to the respiratory muscles. The problem here is in the central nervous system and not a physical obstruction of the airways. Now science is finding that there is a dose-response relationship between disturbed breathing during sleep and high blood pressure. In other words, people with more severe breathing problems at night have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure.
How sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure through the intestines
Sleep apnea causes intermittent hypoxia, or low levels of oxygen in the blood, during the night. This hypoxia results in a periodic decrease in oxygen in the tubes of the gastrointestinal system. Consequently, bacteria that can only grow in low oxygen environments get a boost. As with any finely balanced ecosystem, given certain populations a head start, they can push others aside. In animal studies, researchers have shown that a shift in the bacterial population can lead to the breakdown of mucins in the intestines. These help keep the intestinal mucosa or epithelium healthy. When they are damaged, the epithelium can become permeable and leaky because the damage disrupts the connections between epithelial cells. In addition, impaired breathing at night could affect the intestinal epithelium through mucin degradation and physical damage. Compounds that the gut would normally capture and expel from the body can now enter the blood and travel to distant organs and systems.
Long-term active inflammation appears to be associated with an increase in longitudinal arterial stiffness. This longitudinal increase in arterial stiffness is associated with a longitudinal increase in blood pressure into the hypertensive range. In summary, intermittent hypoxia during the night disrupts the microbiome. This bacterial disorder causes the intestinal epithelium to leak and allow toxins to leak into the blood. This triggers inflammation and therefore increases the risk of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems. The resultsa studyshow a causal relationship between intestinal dysbiosis and high blood pressure. They also suggest that manipulating the gut microbiome could be a viable treatment for hypertension in obstructive sleep apnea.
