Avoid This if You Have High Blood Pressure and Sleep Apnea
Managing both high blood pressure and sleep apnea can be challenging, but taking care of both is crucial for your health. These conditions are serious on their own, but when you have both, they can make each other worse. This can be hard on your heart and overall health. To stay as healthy as possible, you need to know what things can make these problems worse and stay away from them.
Avoid Alcohol Consumption if You Have Both Conditions
If you like having a drink every now and then, this might be hard to hear—but alcohol isn’t good for you if you have high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Alcohol can interfere with your sleep by making your throat muscles relax, which makes it easier for your airways to get blocked. This means you get less oxygen while sleeping, and that can make it even harder to control your high blood pressure.
Alcohol also affects your nervous system, which controls how your blood vessels get wider or narrower. This can raise your blood pressure. Even small amounts of alcohol can impact your sleep and heart health, so it’s best to stay away from it or ask your doctor about how much is safe for you.
Avoid Certain Medications
You may not realize it, but some medications can make both high blood pressure and sleep apnea worse. Medicines like decongestants—which are found in many over-the-counter cold remedies—can make your blood vessels narrower and raise your blood pressure. Sleep aids and sedatives can also be a problem because they relax the muscles in your throat too much, making sleep apnea worse.
Before you take any over-the-counter medicine, ask your doctor if it’s safe for you. This is even more important if you are already taking medicine for high blood pressure, as mixing medications could be risky.
Smoking Is a Definite No-Go
Smoking is harmful for everyone because it damages the lungs and heart, but it is especially harmful if you have high blood pressure and sleep apnea. The nicotine in cigarettes can make your blood vessels tighten, which makes your blood pressure go up. This not only makes high blood pressure worse, but it also damages your heart and blood vessels over time. Smoking also irritates your throat and lungs, which can make sleep apnea worse.
Smoking also reduces the amount of oxygen that your body gets, which makes both sleep apnea and high blood pressure worse. The best thing to do is quit smoking altogether.
Limit Caffeine Intake
Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, and energy drinks, can be a problem, especially in large amounts for people with high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it can make your heart beat faster and raise your blood pressure. If you already have high blood pressure, too much caffeine can make it even harder to control.
Caffeine can likewise interfere with your sleep, making it harder to get good, restful sleep. Since sleep apnea already causes poor sleep, adding caffeine can make things worse. It’s a good idea to cut back on coffee, tea, and energy drinks—especially in the afternoon and evening.
Stay Away from High-Sodium Foods
Eating too much salt is bad for anyone with high blood pressure, but it is even more important to avoid it if you also have sleep apnea. Foods that are high in salt can make your body hold onto extra water, which raises the amount of blood in your body and increases blood pressure. This makes your heart work harder, especially at night when sleep apnea is also affecting your breathing.
Foods like processed meats, canned soups, fast foods, and many packaged snacks are high in sodium. Instead, try to eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and whole grains. These foods can help you keep your blood pressure under control. According to the NHLBI, lowering your salt intake can really help improve your heart health.
Avoid Weight Gain
Your weight is another important factor. Being overweight can make both high blood pressure and sleep apnea worse. Extra weight, especially around your neck, puts more pressure on your airways, which makes it harder to breathe when you’re sleeping. This can lead to more sleep apnea episodes and higher blood pressure.
Losing even a little bit of weight can help a lot. Sleep experts say that losing weight by 10-15% can make sleep apnea less severe and also lower your blood pressure. Exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet can really help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Don’t Skip CPAP Therapy
If your doctor has told you that you have sleep apnea, they might have recommended using a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, which gently pushes air to keep your airway open. This machine helps keep your airway open while you sleep so your body gets enough oxygen. If you skip CPAP therapy, your sleep quality will be poor, and your blood pressure may stay high.
Many people find CPAP uncomfortable at first, but getting used to it can be helpful in your health. If the mask bothers you, talk to your doctor—there are different types of masks, and sometimes switching to a new one can make it more comfortable.
Stay Physically Active
It’s easy to become inactive, especially when you don’t feel great. But staying active is really important if you have high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Exercise helps strengthen your heart, lowers your blood pressure, and can improve your sleep quality. The American Heart Association suggests getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.
Manage Stress Levels
High stress can make both high blood pressure and sleep apnea worse. When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol, which can cause your blood pressure to rise. Stress can also make it hard to get good sleep, which makes sleep apnea symptoms worse.
Adding relaxation activities to your routine can really help. Doing yoga, deep breathing exercises, or even just meditating can lower your stress levels and help you sleep better. Finding ways to relax before bed can be especially helpful for getting better sleep.
Final Thoughts
Living with high blood pressure and sleep apnea means you need to be proactive about your health. Avoiding alcohol, certain medications, smoking, too much caffeine, and high-sodium foods. Keeping a healthy weight, staying active, and using your CPAP machine as your doctor recommends is also very important for improving your health. If you’re not sure what to do or what to avoid, always ask your doctor.
