A Dangerous Relationship Between Sleep Apnea and Atrial Fibrillation
A new study has revealed a close relationship between sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation. It was discovered that when the lungs don’t get enough air, a person’s chances of atrial fibrillation are doubled. You don’t get enough air when you have sleep apnea. Atrial fibrillation causes the upper chambers of the heart to flap, instead of pumping blood. This is a very serious condition that can cause a heart attack or stroke. If you suffer from sleep apnea, there are several things you should know that will help you avoid the often fatal relationship with atrial fibrillation.
The Close Connection
Sleep apnea is a disorder in which the soft tissue that lines the back of the throat collapses during sleep. This causes the person to stop breathing because the air passage is blocked. This condition may happen many times during the course of a night’s sleep, interrupting normal breathing patterns for ten seconds to a full minute.
The relationship between sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation comes in because the decreased breathing ultimately affects the working of the heart. The body’s major systems, like the circulatory and the respiratory systems, all work in harmony. When sleep apnea disrupts the healthy flow of oxygen throughout the body, it disrupts the heart’s natural harmony, manifesting itself as atrial fibrillation.
Seek Treatment For Either Condition
Since this study showed a very real relationship between sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation, if you have been diagnosed with either of these conditions, correct treatment measures should be prescribed. Specific medications or the use of a sleep apnea machine that provides constant positive airway pressure (CPAP) can diminish the negative effect of this disorder while protecting your heart.
If you are being treated for atrial fibrillation, ask your doctor about the likelihood of also having sleep apnea. It’s vital to have both conditions treated to avoid the possible fatal connection between them. This recent study is important not only because it highlights the relationship between sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation, but also because it shows an increase in the number of sleep apnea cases.
Several researchers attribute this to the rise in obesity rates, which appears to be a cause in developing sleep apnea. Although being overweight contributes to both conditions, this study did not specifically cite a cause-and-effect relationship between sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation. Instead, these medical findings point to a connection between these disorders and stresses that both situations need to be treated to avoid dangerous complications.
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