Connection Between Sleep Apnea, Dizziness, and Vertigo
Key Takeaways
- Sleep apnea can lead to low oxygen levels, sleep disruption, and other complications like dizziness and fatigue.
- There is a growing link between sleep apnea and dizziness or vertigo, especially in the morning.
- CPAP therapy is an effective treatment that can improve oxygen levels, stabilize sleep, and reduce or eliminate dizziness/vertigo symptoms.
Sleep apnea isn’t just a noisy nuisance that keeps disrupting your sleep. It is a serious health condition which can come with some far-reaching health problems. Most people know that snoring is one of the symptoms of sleep apnea. Left untreated, it can cause problems that go beyond just a few restless, sleepless nights. Eventually, the sleep disorder can trigger many health problems that can diminish your quality of life as well as potentially shorten your lifespan.
Sleep Apnea Symptoms
When someone has sleep apnea, their breathing stops and starts repeatedly during the night. These sleep interruptions happen because their airway becomes partially or completely blocked. This happens during obstructive sleep apnea when the throat muscles relax too much and cause the airway to collapse or narrow.
Wondering if you or your loved one has sleep apnea? Here are some of the most common symptoms:
- Loud snoring
- Gasping or choking while sleeping
- Excessive daytime fatigue and sleepiness
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
- Morning headaches
- Mood swings (depression, irritability)
- Trouble concentrating
Around 90% of sleep apnea cases go undiagnosed.¹ This means that there are possibly millions of people living with the harmful effects, and they remain unaware. Having a single symptom may not mean you have sleep apnea. For example, even though snoring and sleep apnea are closely related, just because you snore, doesn’t mean you have the condition.
Why Sleep Apnea Can Cause Dizziness/Vertigo
Sleep apnea can cause dizziness or vertigo. Usually, these occur upon rising, but they may also occur periodically for short periods of time throughout the day.² Repeated pauses in breathing during sleep can cause the body’s blood oxygen levels to drop. This has an impact on brain function and can lead to dizziness or vertigo. Sleep apnea also disrupts normal sleep patterns, which can lead to sleep deprivation. Contributing to dizziness.³
The Link Between Sleep Apnea and Dizziness and Vertigo
Dizziness is not one of the first symptoms of sleep apnea that people recognize. However, there is quite a bit of evidence and real patient experiences to suggest that there is a probable link between sleep apnea, and dizziness and vertigo. Of course, there are many causes of vertigo and sleep apnea. There are a few studies that have shown a possible connection between dizziness, vertigo, and sleep apnea, especially when vertigo happens mostly in the mornings after getting up.⁴ Let’s look at a few possible links.
Low Oxygen Levels
Sleep apnea can cause you to suffer from intermittent oxygen deprivation during the night since your breathing stops and starts over and over. Reduced oxygen to the brain can cause dizziness or vertigo, especially when you first wake up. It can also occur for brief times throughout the day.
Interrupted Sleep
Interrupted sleep, especially when caused by conditions like sleep apnea, can cause lower oxygen levels and fragmented sleep. These disrupt the body’s ability to maintain balanced mechanisms and systems, which results in dizziness.
Blood Pressure Fluctuations
When you have an episode of sleep apnea, your oxygen level drops. This causes the heart to have to work harder to pump blood, which leads to fluctuations in blood pressure. When the blood pressure changes, it can cause dizziness, especially in the morning when first getting up out of bed.
Carbon Dioxide Buildup
When breathing repeatedly stops during sleep due to sleep apnea, carbon dioxide can build up in the bloodstream. The accumulation of carbon dioxide can affect the balance of gases in the body. When the gases are out of balance, it can lead to dizziness or disorientation.
Inner Ear Issues
Dizziness or vertigo is a common symptom that is linked to problems with the inner ear. Sleep apnea can lead to pressure fluctuations in the inner ear.⁵ The interruption of airflow during sleep can potentially disrupt the delicate balance in the inner ear, which can cause dizziness or vertigo.
Getting Treatment for Sleep Apnea and Dizziness/Vertigo
CPAP therapy can help alleviate dizziness and vertigo associated with sleep apnea. When sleep is disrupted leading to reduced oxygen levels, you may experience dizziness/vertigo. CPAP therapy provides a continuous flow of air, which prevents airway obstructions from occurring or disrupting sleep. This helps your body maintain an adequate level of oxygen, preventing dizziness from occurring.
Using CPAP therapy to treat sleep apnea, your overall sleep quality should improve. This indirectly reduces dizziness and other sleep-related symptoms you may be experiencing. Some studies have demonstrated that CPAP therapy can resolve dizziness in some individuals who have sleep apnea.⁶
Are you ready to beat dizziness and vertigo by starting CPAP therapy? The CPAP Shop has everything you will need to sleep better, including CPAP machines, supplies, and masks. Do you have questions about our products? Please reach out to our expert staff at 866-414-9700. We’ll be happy to help you find exactly what you need!
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References
1. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (n.d.). Sleep apnea. https://aasm.org/resources/factsheets/sleepapnea.pdf
2. Yacovino, D. A., Finlay, J. B., & Eggers, S. D. Z. (2020). The clinical spectrum of dizziness in sleep apnea. Otology & Neurotology, 41(10), e1353–e1358. https://doi.org/10.1097/MAO.0000000000002905
3. Sia, C. H., Hong, Y., Tan, R. S., & Chua, T. (2020). Sleep apnea and the risk of atrial fibrillation: A meta-analysis. Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, 17(3), 195–203. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32740553/
4. Hara, C., Okuno, K., Uchiyama, M., et al. (2024). Association between obstructive sleep apnea and cognitive impairment: A population-based study. Sleep Medicine, [Article in press]. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945724005677
5. Hamdan, A. L., Jbara, M. F., Sibai, A. M., et al. (2021). Sleep apnea and voice: What is the connection? Cureus, 13(6), e15949. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8195434/
6. Shimizu, K., Ishida, Y., Kobayashi, M., et al. (2018). The effect of CPAP therapy on dizziness in patients with sleep disorders. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325684796_The_effect_of_CPAP_therapy_on_dizziness
