Objective To explore the difference between the hemorheology levels and the expression of hypoxia inducible factor 1α/2α (HIF-1α/2α) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the Tibetan and Han patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Methods This research recruited 30 high-risk Tibetan and Han patients with OSAHS, and 30 Tibetan and Han healthy volunteers at the same period. The whole blood viscometer was used to detect the high shear rate of whole blood viscosity, low shear rate of whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity ratio, red blood cell aggregation index, and hematocrit in each group. RT-qPCR and Western blot assays were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), serine/threonine kinase (AKT), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65, HIF-1α and HIF-2α in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Results The hemorheology level of Tibetan OSAHS patients was significantly higher than that of healthy Tibetans and Han OSAHS patients (P<0.05), and the hemorheology level of Han OSAHS patients was significantly higher than that of Han healthy people (P<0.05) . The mRNA and protein levels of PI3K, AKT, NF-κB p65 and HIF-1α in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Tibetan OSAHS patients were significantly higher than those of the healthy Tibetans or Han people, and these indexes of the Han OSAHS patients were significantly higher than those of the Han healthy people (all P<0.05), while HIF-2α mRNA and protein levels were significantly lower than those of healthy Han people (all P<0.05). Conclusion The upregulation of HIF-1α level and downregulation of HIF-2α expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of OSAHS patients depend on the activation of the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway, and the hemorheological level of Tibetan OSAHS patients is higher than that of Han OSAHS patients.