How Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea Raised My Blood Pressure for 20 Years
A personal story of snoring, managing high blood pressure, misdiagnosis and the sleep apnea CPAP treatment that probably saved my life.
I’ve spent the last 20 years dealing with hypertension, not knowing the root cause was actually my sleep apnea. Like most people, I assumed I had high blood pressure and needed to get fit and make lifestyle changes. And yes, I snored, loudly, especially after a glass of red wine. Doctors put the high blood pressure down to being up with the kids, stress of work and drinking too much.
I was first diagnosed with mild hypertension at 40. Whilst I have snored for as long as I can remember, it got noticeably worse in my forties. Twenty years later I discovered snoring and hypertension were linked and that I had been slowing killing myself in my sleep. So, I thought I would share my experience.
This blog relays my journey of discovery. From identifying the problem of hypertension, my fitness campaign, the first symptom of the real issue, the long wait and solutions to fix it and the remarkable results.