Reasons Why Older Adults May Die While Sleeping

Do you know that there are certain reasons why older adults tend to die in their sleep more often? Death in the sleep can be severely hurtful to a person’s loved ones but the sad thing is that, there is no solution to the issue as it tends to happen to people without prior health complications or conditions to warrant such event.

In this article in line with a publication on Very Well Health, we are going to have a look at some of the reasons why older adults may die while sleeping. Just sit tight and enjoy this article while learning something new.

What Are The Reasons Why Older Adults May Due While Sleeping?

1. Respiratory Arrest – I am sure you must have heard about cardiac arrest and how disastrous it is but you have probably not heard about respiratory arrest. At the most basic level, the lungs are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide that is pertinent for a person’s survival but when they do not function as they should, the oxygen levels fall, carbon dioxide rises and dangerous changes take place in the acid-base of the body. This is one of the main reasons why people die while sleeping and it tends to happen to older adults.

2. Arrhythmias – the heart may also experience irregularities that affect its electrical system. The charge or electrical effect that is needed to fire off the muscles in the synchronized fashion may become disrupted and the contractions become irregular leading to an excessively fast or too slow heart pumping may lead to life-threatening complications. Arrhythmias are one of the main causes of death while sleeping and should not be taken for granted.

3. Heart attacks could also be the reason why a person may die in his or her sleep. Heart attacks are also known as myocardial infarction and they arise when a blood vessel supplying blood to the heart muscles become obstructed and the tissue supplied is damaged or dies. Myocardial infarctions are often the reason older adults even without prior health issue die in their sleep.