You’re at Risk of Heart Failure if You Experience This at Night 

Nowadays, many people across the globe are affected by heart failure while some have lost their lives to it. Death due to heart failure often occurs because people are unaware of its early symptoms, thus they don’t visit a doctor at the right time.

Heart failure means that a person’s heart is affected in such a way that it does not pump blood properly so other organs of the body don’t get a sufficient amount of blood.

The common symptoms of heart failure include high blood pressure and being out of breath. Recent studies have identified that doing this particular thing at night could be a symptom of heart issues, eventually leading to heart failure.

1. If You Experience This at Night, You’re at Risk of Heart Failure

 Having a proper sleeping schedule is important to stay healthy and active. Besides maintaining your health, your sleeping pattern can also indicate any problems with your health and organs, including the heart.

Sleep apnea is a condition that affects one’s breathing while they sleep. The person experiences their breathing to stop completely for a few seconds and then return to normal.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA) are two types of sleep apnea that are closely linked to heart failure.

OSA means that the air passages are obstructed while CSA is when the brain has a problem controlling the breathing, thus they greatly hinder the heart’s ability to efficiently pump blood.

Therefore, people suffering from OSA also have high blood pressure and abnormal heartbeat.

2. Symptoms and Causes of Sleep Apnea

While anyone can be afflicted with sleep apnea, some people are at greater risk of suffering from OSA or CSA and eventually heart failure.

People who smoke, have lung diseases or a large neck, suffer from hormonal imbalances, or are obese have more chances of getting OSA  as their air passages are either affected or obstructed.

OSA could lead to heart failure as the heart has to exert more, which explains the higher blood pressure and irregular heartbeat.

Other symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, insomnia, headaches after waking up, and gasping for air while sleeping.

3. Treatment

If you notice any of the symptoms of sleep apnea, you must not ignore them. Remember that sleep apnea could result in serious problems like heart failure. You should consult your doctor and have tests done for sleep apnea.

If sleep apnea is confirmed, doctors will suggest a healthier lifestyle along with trying therapeutic methods to treat it such as a device that pumps air into the mouth while sleeping.

However, if therapeutic methods don’t work and sleep apnea is suspected to lead to heart failure, the doctor will recommend surgical options to improve the air passages so that breathing is not hindered. 

4. Another Dangerous Sleeping Habit

Feeling tired after working hard or not sleeping properly during the night is understandable. However, if you feel tired all this time and frequently nap during the day along with getting full sleep during the night, there could be something wrong with your heart. You must consult a doctor about this too before it develops into heart failure.