If you have heart failure, you may find yourself suddenly sitting up in bed and gasping for breath. You may feel as if you are suffocating and need to rush to the window to get some air. Many people with heart failure use pillows to prop themselves up at night to help them breathe more easily.
If you know you have heart failure and you start waking up at night, it may be a sign that your treatment isn't working as well as it should. Talk to your doctor right away.
If the left side of your heart doesn't pump as well as it should, blood can stay in the upper left chamber (the left atrium) instead of being pumped out around your body.
Because the blood sits in this chamber, pressure builds up in the blood vessels behind it. The extra pressure causes fluid to leak from the vessels into your lungs. This causes shortness of breath.
If you are waking up at night, it means you have fluid in your lungs. When you lie down, gravity makes the fluid pool there. This makes it harder to breathe.
To learn more, see What is heart failure?
 |
This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved. |
