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 best part of 20 years trying to deal 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. Any sleep apnea symptoms were put down to being up with the kids, stress of work or drinking too much.
I was first diagnosed with mild hypertension at 40. I’ve snored for as long as I can remember. It got noticeably worse in my forties, long before I knew what was really going on. Twenty years down the line, I discovered the frightening reality, the snoring and the hypertension were linked. 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 trials of different devices and solutions to fix it and the remarkable results.