Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have increased cardiovascular disease risk largely attributable to hypertension. Heightened peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity (i.e., exaggerated responsiveness to hypoxia) facilitates hypertension in these patients. Nitric oxide blunts the peripheral chemoreflex and patients with OSA have reduced nitric oxide bioavailability. We therefore investigated the dose-dependent effects of acute inorganic nitrate supplementation (beetroot juice), an exogenous nitric oxide source, on blood pressure and cardiopulmonary responses to hypoxia in patients with OSA using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Fourteen patients with OSA (53±10years, 29.2±5.8kg/m2, apnea-hypopnea index=17.8±8.1, 43%F) completed three visits. Resting brachial blood pressure, as well as cardiopulmonary responses to inspiratory hypoxia, were measured before, and two hours after, acute inorganic nitrate supplementation (~0.10mmol [placebo], 4.03mmol [low-dose], and 8.06mmol [high-dose]). Placebo did not increase either plasma [nitrate] (30±52 to 52±23μM, P=0.26) or [nitrite] (266±153 to 277±164nM, P=0.21); however, both increased following low-(29±17 to 175±42μM, 220±137 to 514±352nM) and high-doses (26±11 to 292±90μM, 248±155 to 738±427nM, respectively, P<0.01 for all). Following placebo, systolic blood pressure increased (120±9 to128±10mmHg, P<0.05) whereas no changes were observed following low-(121±11 to 123±8mmHg, P=0.19) or high-dose (124±13 to 124±9mmHg, P=0.96). The peak ventilatory response to hypoxia increased following placebo (3.1±1.2 to 4.4±2.6L/min, P<0.01) but not low-(4.4±2.4 to 5.4±3.4L/min, P=0.11) or high-doses (4.3±2.3 to 4.8±2.7L/min, P=0.42). Inorganic nitrate did not change the heart rate responses to hypoxia (beverage-by-time P=0.64). Acute inorganic nitrate supplementation appears to blunt an early-morning rise in systolic blood pressure potentially through suppression of peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity in patients with OSA.