High blood pressure

Many people with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) develop high blood pressure (hypertension). If you have high blood pressure, your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as a heart attack or stroke, is also increased.

Currently, it is uncertain whether people develop hypertension as a direct response to OSA, or whether it is the result of an underlying cause of OSA, such as obesity. However, maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet is the best way of preventing hypertension.

See the Health A-Z topic about High blood pressure for more information about this condition.

Other medical conditions

If OSA is left untreated, hypertension also increases your risk of developing other serious conditions, including:

• heart attack - a serious condition that is caused by a blood clot blocking the supply of blood to the heart
• stroke - a serious medical condition that is caused by a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain
• obesity - a condition in which a person is carrying too much body fat for their height and sex
• type 2 diabetes - a long-term condition that is caused by too much sugar (glucose) in the blood.