Sleep apnea increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, which in turn heightens the risk for developing a stroke. Additionally, patients with
untreated sleep apnea have twice the chance of their abnormal heart rhythms re-occurring after this has been treated with medication, electrical therapy and even surgery. Sleep apnea is seen in a majority of patients with heart failure. In these patients, sometimes a different type
of apnea called “central sleep apnea” can be seen, as well as an abnormal breathing pattern called “CheyneStokes breathing pattern”. In central sleep apnea, the upper airway is not collapsed, but the brain does not send signals to the body to breathe. A number of large studies have shown that a sleeping consistently for less than 5 hours a night may have negative consequences on the heart.