How is sleep apnea and heart failure linked, if at all? Sometimes i read people linking the two as if its?
by Sarah Aniston
Filed under Sleep Apnea Books
common knowledge or something, but i thought they are two totally different things???
thanks, and may the force be with you,
Tom,
First of all, with sleep apnea you simple stop breathing during sleep, sometimes hundreds of times a night. It can cause more symptoms than you can imagine, The lack of oxygen transport to your heart, brain, and entire body and does a lot of harm in many forms from chronic fatigue, heart disease, etc. It’s not rocket science anymore, get a sleep study, pretty easy these days, and good luck!
Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing during sleep and it can be mild to severe and usually the person is put on a CPAP machine at night to maintain a positive airway ( air flow to lungs), and this will improve the health, but if the person isn’t using the CPAP they run risks of heart problems because the lack of oxygen starves the heart of much needed oxygen therefore causing the probability of an enlarged heart if untreated. The lungs and heart work in unity to help each other as well as most organs do but these always have to work in unison. I believe it can cause heart failure because the lack of sleep causes the heart to overwork and causes irreversible damage. Hope this gives you some understanding if not post another question and I will look to see if you do. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello there,
You have a good question here, and many people with sleep apnea know that there is an increasing evidence that sleep apnea has a link with congestive heart failure.
A recent study shows that patients with severe and moderate obstructive sleep apnea had higher left ventricular mass and left ventricular mass index, and left ventricular global dysfunction.
If you already have sleep apnea, and have also problems with your heart, then CPAP is the most adequate treatment for you.