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Serious Complications of Sleep Apnea for Heart Failure Patients

Author: RudyWatkins Total views: 4 Word Count: 382

There are many serious medical concerns from sleep apnea but now a study had linked serious and fatal complications for patients with heart failure. People with sleep apnea experience decreased or interrupted breathing during which the brain is oxygen deprived and not able to send out the messages to the respiratory muscles to inhale and exhale. Breathing can stop for several seconds or as much as a minute. Since these episodes can happen frequently during the night, it causes a special worry for people who suffer from heart problems.

Special Concerns

Heart failure patients need to be aware of extra complications from sleep apnea. Heart failure is simply defined as a disorder where the heart isn't able to pump enough blood to supply the amount of oxygen needed by the body and essential nutrients. Oxygen is the most important thing here. In both sleep apnea and heart failure, there is a decreased supply of oxygen. If a person has both conditions, the lack of supply of oxygen is doubled and that can be dangerous.

This raises the risk of a patient with heart failure dying during a sleep apnea episode. Additionally, this lower level of oxygen throughout the body can cause serious damage to major organs as well as contribute to psychological problems that result from a lack of restful sleep.

What Can You Do?

You can be helped if you have both of these conditions. A mild diuretic and respiratory stimulant called acetazolamide is now being prescribed. When taken before bedtime, this drug may improve oxygen levels to help lessen sleep apnea problems. People participating in a study taking this prescription drug, were less tired and had better concentration during the daytime.

Until this study, there wasn't a major known concern between heart failure and sleep apnea. Now doctors are aware of the problems that could happen due to the extra drop of oxygen levels. If you are suffering from heart failure you may want to consult with your doctor if you suspect you may have sleep apnea as well.

Although sleep apnea is very common, most of the time people are unaware they have this disorder. A proper diagnosis and treatment plan will provide both a restful night's sleep as well as a safer one.

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About the Author

Wondering what you can do about snoring and sleep apnea? A look at some sleep apnea statistics will tell you that you're not the only one suffering from it. Find out how to identify sleep apnea as well as the treatments for it on the Apnea Guide website at http://www.apneaguide.com

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