There are a lot of things to worry about these days. Should dying during sleep be one of them?
Comedian Bob Saget’s death earlier this month at age 65 prompted conversations about the possibility and risks after he was found unresponsive in a hotel room bed, though no cause of death has been announced. Doctors say dying during sleep is a perennial source of anxiety for patients, particularly those with cardiac issues.
“Patients come in and they are freaked out that they’re going to die during their sleep,” says Reena Mehra, a physician and the director of sleep disorders research at Cleveland Clinic.
Sudden nocturnal death, while relatively uncommon, can occur as a result of a variety of factors, including stroke, seizure, sedative overdose, and, most frequently, sudden cardiac arrest, physicians say. Sudden cardiac arrest accounts for 90% of sudden and unexpected deaths that occur at nighttime, says Sumeet Chugh, medical director of Cedars-Sinai’s Heart Rhythm Center.
People most at risk for sudden cardiac arrest during sleep are those with known heart disease, such as coronary artery disease; lung disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and obstructive sleep apnea.
Read more in The Wall Street Journal.