Dangerous Relationship Between Sleep Apnea and Atrial Fibrillation  

Recent studies have found that there is a relationship between sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation. It was found that when the lungs don't get enough air, a person's chances of atrial fibrillation are more than 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 ultimately contribute to or even cause a heart attack or stroke. If you suffer from sleep apnea, there are several things you should know that will help you avoid consequences that are often fatal. 

The Close Connection 

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which the soft tissue that lines the back of the throat collapses during sleep, which causes the person to stop breathing because of the obstruction. This condition may happen many times during the course of a night's sleep, interrupting normal breathing patterns for ten seconds up to a full minute or more, which for obvious reasons is serious.  

The relationship between sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation comes in because the decreased breathing ultimately affects the way the heart is supposed to work and its responses. 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, and atrial fibrillation is often a result.  

Seeking Treatment 

If you have been diagnosed with either of these conditions, you need to work with your doctor to find a treatment regimen that will work well for you and your body.  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 ensuring the health of your heart. 

When you are being treated for atrial fibrillation, ask your doctor about 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 that sleep apnea is perhaps even more common that we thought it was previously.  

Many people believe that the increase in sleep apnea is owned in a large part to increasingly high rates of obesity. 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 issues need to be treated to assure that someone stays healthy.