Lead author Dr. Canan Gündüz, alongside Dr. Ludger Grote from the University of Gothenburg and their colleagues, worked on a study to discover the true association between lipid levels and OSA. The researchers analyzed medical data from the European Sleep Apnea Database (ESADA), focusing on 8,592 OSA patients who had no existing diagnosis of high cholesterol. What the team managed to find out was that a large portion of these patients actually had high levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides without even being aware of it.
The researchers were very careful to make allowances for certain other factors, such as the patients' body mass index (BMI) and levels of abdominal obesity. The team revealed that the more severe a person's OSA was, the higher their bad cholesterol levels tended to be.
According to Dr. Grote, "our data clearly suggest that sleep apnea may have a negative impact on lipid levels, which may in part explain the association between sleep apnea and increased risk for cardiovascular disease.”
While researchers are still mapping the exact molecular pathways, it is widely believed that the repetitive drops in blood oxygen and disrupted sleep trigger inflammation and stress responses that impair how the body processes fats. Because of this, Dr. Grote stresses that doctors should be highly aware of this cardiovascular link when treating sufferers of OSA.
If you think that you may be an OSA sufferer, make sure to visit a doctor as soon as possible, and ensure that they check your cholesterol levels too while you're there. Don't just ignore the problem, as OSA is highly treatable through therapies like CPAP machines, lifestyle changes, or dental appliances. Fortunately, follow-up data shows that treating sleep apnea long-term with CPAP therapy actually reduces total cholesterol levels, meaning a better night of sleep can actively protect your heart.
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