Sleep Apnea May Spur Night Heart Attacks

Obstructive Sleep Apnea May Trigger Nighttime Heart Attacks By Miranda Hitti WebMD Health News Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC may make nighttime heart attacks more likely than daytime heart attacks, a new study shows. In obstructive sleep apnea, the upper airway becomes completely or partially blocked, interrupting regular breathing, several times per night. The new study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, recommends that people who have heart attacks while sleeping at night be screened for obstructive sleep apnea. The study included 92 people who had recently had a heart attack. The patients reported what time their heart attack symptoms started. They also took part in a sleep study about 17 days after their heart attack. The sleep study showed that 64 patients had obstructive sleep... [read full story]