Apnoeas constitute an acute existential threat to neonates and adults. In large part, this threat is detected by the carotid bodies, which are the primary peripheral chemoreceptors, and is combatted by arousal and acute cardiorespiratory responses, including increased sympathetic output. Similar responses occur with repeated apnoeas but they continue beyond the last apnoea and can persist for hours [i.e. ventilatory and sympathetic long-term facilitation (LTF)]. These long-term effects may be adaptive during acute episodic apnoea, although they may prolong hypertension causing chronic cardiovascular impairment. We report a novel mechanism of acute carotid body (CB) plasticity (sensory LTF) induced by repeated apnoea-like stimuli [i.e. acute intermittent hypoxia coincident with bouts of hypercapnia (AIH-Hc)]. This plasticity did not require chronic intermittent hypoxia preconditioning, was dependent on P2X receptors and protein kinase C, and involved heat-sensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) receptors. Reactive oxygen species (O ·¯) were involved in initiating plasticity only; no evidence was found for H O involvement. Angiotensin II and 5-HT receptor antagonists, losartan and ketanserin, severely reduced CB responses to individual hypoxic-hypercapnic challenges and prevented the induction of sensory LTF but, if applied after AIH-Hc, failed to reduce plasticity-associated activity. Conversely, TRPV1 receptor antagonism had no effect on responses to individual hypoxic-hypercapnic challenges but reduced plasticity-associated activity by ∼50%. Further, TRPV1 receptor antagonism in vivo reduced sympathetic LTF caused by AIH-Hc, although only if the CBs were functional. These data demonstrate a new mechanism of CB plasticity and suggest P2X-TRPV1-dependent sensory LTF as a novel target for pharmacological intervention in some forms of neurogenic hypertension associated with recurrent apnoeas.