Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota have determined that people with obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), are far more likely to die suddenly in their sleep from heart related problems than the general population. They also found that this is the opposite of the general population who are more likely to die from heart-related problems, such as heart attack and cardiac arrest, during the day.
It is generally believed that the risk of sudden cardiac death is lower during sleep periods because of the reduction of stress factors that can trigger heart problems. Based on earlier studies, the likelihood of suddenly dying from cardiac arrest or heart attack is actually the highest between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon.
There are several different forms of SBD, however, this study focused only on people that have obstructive sleep apnea. Estimates range upwards of 25% of North Americans who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.
The data utilized for this study came from the death certificates of 112 Minnesotans who were tested for sleep apnea and subsequently died suddenly from cardiac causes between July 1987 and July 1983. Of the people who died from cardiac causes between midnight and 6 a.m., 46% were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea while only 21% had other diagnoses. This is compared to 16% of the general population who die from cardiac causes during those hours.
The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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