The illustration depicts the multietiological risk factors for sleep apnea and its downstream consequences, which include increased sympathetic nerve activity, metabolic dysregulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular endothelial dysfunction, and intermittent hypoxia. These mechanistic pathways are critical for the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation, all of which are etiological risk factors for end-stage cardiovascular disease. The figure is a schematic representation to illustrate important concepts, but does not fully depict the complex interactions between the various key variables.