Researchers suspect sleep apnea causes abnormal heart rhythms, which lead to sudden cardiac death, for a number of reasons. “Sleep apnea may lower oxygen levels, activate the fight-or-flight response and change pressure in the chest when the upper airway closes, stressing the heart mechanically,” he explains.
Another possible reason behind heart attacks while sleeping is the chronic obstructive sleep apnea disorder. “Normally, your blood pressure falls at night. If you have sleep apnea, your blood pressure may not fall, which can lead to high blood pressure.
Sudden nocturnal death, while relatively uncommon, can occur as a result of a variety of factors, including stroke, seizure, sedative overdose, and, most frequently, sudden cardiac arrest, physicians say.
Depending on case definitions and timing criteria, 17–41% of all SCD events occur during nighttime hours. Patients are in a resting state, with decreased metabolism, heart rate and blood pressure, and in the absence of daytime triggers, presumably at the lowest likelihood of suffering lethal arrhythmias.
Is sudden cardiac death painful? Some people have chest pain during the initial seconds of sudden cardiac arrest. However, once you lose consciousness, you don't feel pain.
Some arrhythmias that can happen with sleep apnea are especially severe and can stop your heart. That stoppage is a life-threatening condition known as sudden cardiac death.
Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
A silent heart attack is a heart attack that has few, if any, symptoms or has symptoms not recognized as a heart attack. A silent heart attack might not cause chest pain or shortness of breath, which are typically associated with a heart attack.
Although the number sounds scary, it must be understood that not everyone suffering from heart disease has a 100% mortality rate. If given early treatment, more than 90% of people can survive a heart attack - or myocardial infarction.
Because silent heart attacks may go unnoticed, they can cause a significant amount of damage. And without treatment, they can be deadly.
You may have trouble breathing, an irregular heartbeat, swollen legs, neck veins that stick out, and sounds from fluid built up in your lungs. Your doctor will check for these and other signs of heart failure. A test called an echocardiogram is often the best test to diagnose your heart failure.
Mild heart attack symptoms might only occur for two to five minutes then stop with rest. A full heart attack with complete blockage lasts much longer, sometimes for more than 20 minutes.
SMI warning signs
It can feel like an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, or pain. Discomfort in other upper-body areas, such as one or both arms, the back, the neck, the jaw, or the stomach. Shortness of breath before or during chest discomfort. Breaking out in a cold sweat, or feeling nauseated or lightheaded.
Most people will recover from a heart attack, especially if they receive emergency medical treatment. The survival rate for heart attacks is now 90%. This is because doctors are now much more able to diagnose and treat heart attacks. Therefore, receiving immediate medical treatment is crucial.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
It occurs when the soft tissues in your throat relax, which can close your airway and cause a temporarily stop to breathing (apneic episode). The result is usually an abrupt disturbance to sleep or an actual awakening, often accompanied by gasping or choking.
You may have the feeling that your heart stops beating for a moment, and then starts again with a "thump" or a "bang". Usually this feeling is caused by an extra beat (premature beat or extrasystole) that happens earlier than the next normal beat, and results in a pause until the next normal beat comes through.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder that causes total or partial pauses in breathing during sleep. OSA develops when the airways collapse. View Source and become obstructed. People with OSA may snore loudly or wake up choking or gasping for breath.
You may have a perfectly normal ECG, yet still have a heart condition. If your test is normal but your doctor suspects that you have a heart problem, he may recommend that you have another ECG, or a different type of test to find out for sure.
How common is a silent heart attack? Some estimate that nearly 50% to 80% of all heart attacks are silent.
How long can a silent heart attack last? The duration of a silent heart attack can vary. If a person experiences symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately. When blood flow to the heart stops for around 20 minutes , the heart can sustain irreversible damage.
Heart attack in teens is actually very rare. A child may have chest pain, but it's usually not related to heart disease.
Mild or severe discomfort in the middle or left side of the chest that feels like fullness, pressure or squeezing could be a potential sign of a cardiovascular event.Most people experience chest pain at some point, but how do you know if it is a heart attack or simply heartburn or anxiety?
Note the duration of pain
If the left arm pain lasts only for few seconds then it is unlikely that it is due to any heart ailment. If the pain persists for a long time (for days or even weeks), it is also unlikely that it has something to do with your heart.
If you wake up feeling not refreshed, you have daytime sleepiness or if you need to curtail your daytime activity because of lack of energy, these could be signs your heart failure isn't being managed as well as it could be, Dr. Freeman says.