{"id":362,"date":"2026-09-15T17:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T17:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/?p=362"},"modified":"2026-10-15T17:25:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T17:25:01","slug":"sleep-apnea-and-cardiovascular-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/15\/sleep-apnea-and-cardiovascular-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleep Apnea &amp; Your Cardiovascular Health: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_318359988-senior-woman-heart-health-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Senior woman touching her heart as she takes a deep breath \" class=\"wp-image-363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_318359988-senior-woman-heart-health-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_318359988-senior-woman-heart-health-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_318359988-senior-woman-heart-health.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Millions of Americans have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/sleep-apnea-therapy.html\">sleep apnea<\/a>. Sadly, some people dismiss this condition as a mere annoyance that makes them feel tired. They push through the exhaustion, but they often do not realize that their health is at risk! Yes, sleep apnea can seriously affect overall wellness, and its effects can be particularly profound on cardiovascular health. How is that possible? Does your heart actually stop if you have sleep apnea? This blog post explains what you must know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sleep Apnea\u2019s Effects on Cardiovascular Health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes you to stop breathing multiple times throughout the night. In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), this occurs because tissues in the throat block the flow of air. Multiple studies have established a strong connection between sleep apnea and poor heart health, including conditions like hypertension, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What explains this connection? There are a few biological pathways that can contribute:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Fluctuating blood oxygen: <\/strong>Hypoxia occurs when there is not enough oxygen in the blood, and people with OSA experience regular episodes of it. This is thought to play a role in high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and heart attack.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fight or flight response:<\/strong> Pauses in breathing send your body into panic mode. When this happens too frequently, it can contribute to heart failure and atrial fibrillation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pressure changes:<\/strong> Unsuccessful inhalation can change pressure in the chest cavity, which may damage the heart over time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inflammation and oxidative stress:<\/strong> OSA increases systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are related to heart disease.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sleep Apnea &amp; Sudden Cardiac Arrest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A landmark study published in the <em>New England Journal of Medicine <\/em>found that individuals with OSA have a risk of sudden cardiac death that is 2.57 times higher than people without the condition. The most dangerous window when this occurs is between midnight and 6 a.m. The group at the highest risk is individuals over 60 years of age with severe sleep apnea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Can You Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember that sleep apnea is most dangerous when it remains untreated. With timely professional care, the risks associated with it can be greatly reduced or potentially eliminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your partner has told you that you sometimes stop breathing at night, or you are always tired despite sleeping for 7 \u2013 8 hours, there is a strong chance that you have sleep apnea. Your medical team can help you arrange for an official test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, you can explore treatment options. A CPAP machine is the most commonly prescribed treatment, but many people find it to be uncomfortable. A popular alternative is a custom oral appliance from a dentist; it slightly moves the lower jaw in order to keep the airway open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sleep apnea presents a serious risk to your cardiovascular health! Take steps now to protect your precious heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Meet the Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. John Moneyhun is a highly skilled dentist with a decade of experience in his profession. He offers custom oral appliance therapy for individuals with OSA. If you have recently been diagnosed with this condition, our team would be happy to answer your questions about treatment and help you get on the road to feeling better. &nbsp;To learn more or to request a consultation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/contact.html\">contact Parkside Dental in Landrum<\/a> at 864-800-1691.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Millions of Americans have sleep apnea. Sadly, some people dismiss this condition as a mere annoyance that makes them feel tired. They push through the exhaustion, but they often do not realize that their health is at risk! Yes, sleep apnea can seriously affect overall wellness, and its effects can be particularly profound on cardiovascular [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":364,"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions\/364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parksidedentalllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}