01/22/2026
๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ง ๐จ๐ช๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐พ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐. ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐, ๐ฟ๐๐, ๐๐๐-๐ฝ๐พ
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๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐๐ญ: ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌโ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ ๐
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Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the United States? According to MedStar Health, roughly 1 ๐ข๐ง 4 ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐, and many of these events happen suddenly and without warning.
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โ ๏ธ ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ?
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Research from UCLA Health and Samanvay Hospital highlights several critical factors that increase the risk for men overnight:
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1. ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ (๐๐๐): OSA causes repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. This lowers oxygen levels and raises blood pressure, putting stress on the heart.
2. ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ค๐: Between 4 AM and 10 AM, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline to help you wake up. In people with heart disease, this surge can cause plaque in the arteries to rupture, leading to a heart attack.
3. ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐
๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ: Normally, blood pressure drops at night. Some people have โnon-dippingโ blood pressure, meaning it stays high even during sleep, increasing heart attack risk.
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๐ฉ ๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐:
Seek medical help if you or a loved one wakes up with:
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โ Gasping for air or feeling like you canโt breathe
โ Cold sweats
โ Chest pressure or pain that wakes you up
โ Sudden anxiety or a feeling that something is very wrong
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๐ก๏ธ ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ค?
Heart disease is often preventable with the right care:
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๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐: If you snore loudly or feel tired after sleeping.
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๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐: High BP is the "silent" precursor to a nocturnal attack. Regularly check your blood pressure and cholesterol.
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๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ.
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๐๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ-๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ญ.
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๐๐ญ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐: Regular exercise strengthens the heart muscle and improves circulation.
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Don't wait for a wake-up call. ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ.
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๐ Call us: 979-431-5800 ๐ Visit: www.laurellefamilyhealth.com ๐ Location: Laurelle Family Health and Wellness Center
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References
MedStar Health. (2023, February 8). Whoโs at risk for heart disease? MedStar Health. https://www.medstarhealth.org/blog/heart-disease-risk
Samanvay Hospital. (2025, May 26). Heart attack while sleeping: Causes & symptoms you need to know. https://samanvayhospital.com/symptoms-of-a-heart-attack-while-sleeping-what-you-need-to-know/
UCLA Health. (n.d.). Heart disease and sleep disorders. UCLA Health. https://www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/sleep-medicine/patient-resources/patient-education/heart-disease
OโConnor, A. (2016, October 11). 10 reasons you may die in your sleep and signs to watch for. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/why-do-people-die-in-their-sleep-4098302