Heart attacks most often occur during the daytime, generally between 6 a.m. and noon. A nighttime heart attack, when the heart should be at rest, means that something unusual has happened, according to Dr. Virend Somers. Dr. Somers, a cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic. is the lead author of a report in the July 29 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The study links the nighttime heart attacks with the breathing disorder obstructive sleep apnea. The link is not fully established, but it seems logical, said Dr. Somers, after he and colleagues have been working for a decade to show that sleep apnea is to blame for nighttime heart attacks and strokes. Their studies looked at the most common form, obstructive sleep apnea, in which the tube carrying air to the lungs collapses periodically, blocking the flow. According to Somers, "About 10 years ago, we showed that obstructive sleep apnea has a powerful effect on the sympathetic nervous system causing an acute increase in adrenaline flow, high blood pressure and lack of oxygen." Medical Updates - Sleep Apnea May Trigger Nighttime Heart Problems | Health News




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