Did CPAP lower your Blood Pressure?

[OCDP]

Just wondering if anyone had high blood pressure prior to CPAP and it got better with treatment? I ask because I am 23 years old (male) and was diagnosed with high blood pressure back in November, I also have bad anxiety towards anything health related, so naturally having high blood pressure makes my anxiety go up as well as the BP. I know for certain I have white coat hypertension (blood pressure goes up when the doctor takes it) I can even look at a blood pressure cuff and panic.. it's a terrible thing as I am certain I rarely ever get accurate results at his office. I was put on a 24hr BP monitor back in November with the average of 143/81. Anytime he takes my BP though, it's 140/90 (whitecoat?)

Anyhow, now that I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and put on CPAP I am PRAYING my blood pressure goes down, even if it's just a little bit. I'm looking to see if anyone else had success with this?

I don't know the exact cause of my high BP, as I am overweight for my age and I do smoke.. all the bad stuff I know I shouldn't be doing. I have been trying desperately to set a date to begin exercise and healthy eating but with all these new changes I figured I should get adjusted to one thing first before putting too much on my plate. I really hope to see the BP go down with treatment, as it would be interesting to see if sleep apnea was a cause or contributing factor to my numbers..

[Gerald]

The answer to your question is "yes"....high BP is the reason I'm on CPAP.

Buy yourself a "Recording Pulse Oximeter" and record your O2 levels during the night......for a couple of weeks. If you find that your O2 saturation levels are falling below 93% saturation while asleep, there's your "smoking gun"....you are suffocating in your sleep......panic hormones kick in to prevent death...and your BP goes out the roof.

[jules]

mine didn't improve with CPAP but many people's do

mine is also higher than 120 pounds ago too - I keep offering to gain the weight back but get scoffed at for that

I am doomed to take BP meds the rest of my life I think.

[newhosehead]

I am glad you started this thread and will be interested to see the replies. I have also seen many people on here talk about BP problems lessening but it has not happened to me. I am well controlled on two meds and was hoping maybe I could kick one to the curb, but so far (5 months in), nothing has changed on that front.

Jeanette

[jules]

I am years in - started CPAP Nov 2005 - same meds I was on when they settled on treating the HBP after a few days trial and error back in fall 2000 - 5 mg norvasc twice a day and 25 mg HClThz am and the weight (which was high starting the meds) has dropped finally to "overweight", no longer obese, and still no BP med change

[Janknitz]

Yes, mine went down after just a short time. I was getting to that border of where they were going to insist on meds for me, and it came down enough that they didn't give me a hard time about it last time I went in.

A couple of things: I get my medical care from a self contained HMO (Kaiser) and they love their toys. They have electronic BP cuffs and I hate them--they squeeze your arm very hard and hurt, the techs are always in a hurry and rarely position your arm properly--so I think the readings are inaccurate--I always insist on manual BP's.

Secondly, manual BP's are no better if they are not done properly. To be done properly, your arm must be above your heart. If they are taking your BP with your arm hanging down,it's not accurate.

Finally, I'd suggest you get a home BP cuff and use it regularly so you can track yourself to see if it's really white coat anxiety or not. It will also help you see results from your CPAP therapy.

I realized that my apnea was makng me be in panic mode all the time. I am so much calmer and more relaxed with CPAP because my body no longer has to be in fight or flight to be assured of the next breath! That's a big reason why BP goes down.


AND, you MUST quit smoking. Smoking consticts your blood vessels and increases resistance that raises your BP. You are only 23 and having high BP--that's a bad sign and something you MUST change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jaylee]

In my case we are not sure. I started BiPap the same time I left an abusive relationship, so each could have equally lowered it. At any rate, it is lower now, yes, but not enough to warrent going off the meds.

[elena88]

yes, I mentioned this on another thread..

I bought a good quality bp monitor for my husband, and before I found out I had apnea, I would check mine just for the heck of it..
In the morning when I woke up, it would be in the 180's.. and I would have a very rapid heart beat..

before cpap if I was just doing stuff around the house I took a reading of 174/68... (that is a big gap between diastolic and systolic)


now, when I dont mouth breath, it will be 115/75 during the day..

so YES, it lowered my bp for sure!

p.s. I had white coat syndrome REALLY BAD.. .... even after cpap, and still do!

[Muse-Inc]

Mine did: 210/115 to 128/65, was gettin up to pee 8-10 times/night, stopped first night of CPAP therapy. Was on Cozaar and diuretic. Took 18 months to get rid of Cozaar; still taking 1/2 pill of smallest dose of diuretic. ARBs are one of the best first line of treatment for the hypertension we get from oxygen deprivation.

http://eon.businesswire.com/portal/site ... ewsLang=en


UPDATE Nov 2017: As BP continued to slowly drop, I was able to drop the diuretic for the past 4-5 years. With high levels of unrelieved stress over the past few years, I stopped exercising and my systolic pressure is up, so back on diuretic.

[robmax]

My BP didn't go down.

[Goofproof]

No, but the by-pass did. Really after all the heart damage, it doesn't pump good enough to make pressure. I'm sure that XPAP treatment makes your blood pressure lower due to the fact your heart isn't being stressed as hard at night. Jim

[OCDP]

Thanks for the replies. So far it sounds like mixed results all in all..

I ask if it helped simply because my blood pressure went from 125/83 or so in August all the way to 160/90 a few months later. It was determined that my anxiety and panic disorder could be to blame for the spike as I was and am constantly obsessed and terrified about having high blood pressure. I have full blown healthy anxiety, nearly every day.

So I am curious to see if maybe CPAP treatment lowers the BP.. which would be an indication that the sleep apnea was driving the BP up. It's a long shot but I can have faith..

I know I desperately need to lose weight, quit smoking, etc, etc.. I know I am too young for these problems, sleep apnea and blood pressure. But I also have anxiety, and as my doctor once said, "the average 23 year old male does not have high blood pressure. But you are not the average 23 year old" I have had terrible anxiety for years and it wreaks havoc on my life. Every day I fear I will have a heart attack or stroke, even at my age. Throw in the sleep apnea and I get extremely anxious.

I'm trying to set a date to begin lifestyle changes... I just figure I should adjust to one thing at a time, and as they say, baby steps are key. I have a doctor's appointment today anyways to follow-up, so I am an anxious mess today and pray it all goes well.. I got a bad nights sleep and I'm feeling pretty stressed out.

[tattooyu]

OCDP, I think you and I are related. I have health-related anxiety and panic disorder, with a bit of OCD in there, too. I can tell you that I have some of the worst whitecoat hypertension my doctor has seen. I use a manual BP cuff at home and was trained by an RN friend on how to use it properly. My BP at home ranges from 115/65 to 130/72 (on a stressful day). At the doctor's office, it's almost always 170/90 and I'm panicking. Normally, he believes me when I tell him my BP is good at home (I keep a BP journal). Last time, he wanted me to double my BP meds, and I told him if I do that I will probably pass out during the day, because my BP is always in the normal range, and it will drop too low.

With that said, my anxiety and panic attacks are MUCH less frequent now that I'm on CPAP. I do still have minor ones here an there with the occasional "full blown" attack. Every three days, I take a sub-clinical dose of clonazepam (0.125mg) and that usually seems to keep things at bay for me. I also do self-hypnotherapy and have done CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) in the near past.

Do you suffer from bad digestive problems? I am absolutely CONVINCED that my digestive problems CAUSE my panic attacks and not the other way around as doctors would have me believe. I'm almost certain of this. Once my digestive problems settle down (they come in irregular cycles), I feel fine. I've had IBS (possibly undiagnosed Crohn's) my entire life and also had my GB out in 2007, which I believe contributed to some new digestive issues I have.

Overall, I think CPAP has definitely helped lower my BP by allowing me to lose weight and be more calm. I've lost 20 pounds (226 down to 206) since starting CPAP in February 2009. I had lost 25 lbs. prior to that on my own.

Will I be able to get off BP meds at some point? If I can get down to ~160 lbs. (I'm 5'6" by the way), I think I might be able to do that. My doctor seems to think so (or at least cut them way down). High BP runs on my mom's side of the family, and they were all slender, but nervous, folk.

[OCDP]

Seen my doctor today.. he is confident that CPAP will lower my blood pressure. He did say I will more than likely will remain on meds but the beta blocker I am on is so mild I hardly know I take a pill twice a day.

My systolic was up a bit.. by 3 points more than usual (whitecoat at it's best) I was having little panic attacks about the BP being taken. The bright side? The diastolic is down by 5 ! The diastolic hasn't budged in months, so to see that was relieving. He said things look pretty good.. "encouraging" he said. Doesn't want me back for 3 months so I know he's not worried which makes me relax more.

I hardly doubt 6 days of CPAP lowered my diastolic by 5 points but either way, great news! Now if I get some exercise going and healthy eating I should expect both to go down more.

[elena88]

I truly believe that OSA can cause anxiety..

It causes it when youre sleeping..

It gives your body a blue print of what to expect... fight or flight.. ALL night long..

so why not follow it all day too?

This just makes sense to me.. I was lucky enough not to have the panic attacks follow me thru the day, but I think the anxiety did because I
was always on edge.. like a rabbit running from a coyote.. ready to take off any second..

Ive ACTUALLY LEARNED TO YAWN during the day now, something I NEVER did before cpap treatment.. I was too wired to ever yawn before..
My husband even commented on it.. he said.. " I have never seen you yawn unless we were at altitude! "
THINGS DO CHANGE ON CPAP.. THEY REALLY DO..
YOu will probably find yourself having some calm moments.. and string them all together.. and there is some relief from anxiety..

good luck!