Doctor warns anyone who sleeps in specific position could have ‘hidden’ deadly health condition
Jen Thomas
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Drifting off to sleep can be hard enough as it is, what with the pressures of the modern world and the temptation to doom scroll on your phone.
If you find yourself tossing and turning unable to sleep, there might be more to it than meets the eye.
If the idea of lying flat makes you grimace and you find yourself reaching for a pile of pillows to prop yourself up, don't ignore this.
Sure, everybody has different pillow preferences, but one doctor has revealed that needing to be upright in order to sleep is a red flag.
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According to experts, it could actually be a 'hidden' sign of a deadly health condition and your body is trying to tell you something.
Dr Rosie Godeseth is a cardiologist and Associate Medical Director at Vitality Health.
She claims that if you feel discomfort or pain when lying flat on your back in bed, it can be a symptom of heart failure and shouldn't be ignored.
Dr Godeseth says these symptoms can of course also be caused by other conditions, but it is well worth getting checked out to be on the safe side.
The discomfort happens because your heart can no longer pump properly because of muscle weakening.
As well as pain when lying down, it can cause debilitating fatigue and extreme breathlessness because of fluid build up in the lungs.
Lying flat on your back can make the breathing worse, which is why you might prefer propping yourself up.
Dr Godeseth explained to The Sun: "Sometimes people [with heart failure] will experience fluid buildup in the lungs which can make it hard to breathe when lying down.
"If you find yourself having to be propped up on pillows while you sleep or are waking up short of breath, see a doctor.
"They may recommend undergoing a sleep study [where health monitors are worn over night] or heart function tests."
Heart failure sadly cannot be cured, but getting an early diagnosis and treatment can prevent it worsening or stop you from becoming severely ill.
The British Society for Heart Failure warned earlier this year that there might be 400,000 people with undiagnosed heart failure in the UK.
Lynn Mackay-Thomas, chief executive of the foundation, said: "It's a ticking time bomb. A national, sustainable and centrally commissioned programme to find people before they become acutely unwell can help change this trajectory.
"We are facing a tsunami of hospital admissions if we do not systematically find those with heart failure early or at highest risk of developing heart failure."
Exercise and improving your diet are two of the best ways to try and help prevent heart disease.