This sleeping habit can seriously increase health risks: why experts advise us to avoid it
Going to bed at night should be the safest time of day. Unfortunately, for millions of people, the night becomes a quiet but high-risk environment for the heart and brain.
The story of Roberto – a 68-year-old man, active, without serious illnesses and seemingly perfectly healthy – is telling. He died in his sleep, painlessly and without warning. The immediate cause was a massive heart attack, but the real trigger had been working quietly for years – every night.
This is not an isolated incident. Such tragedies are often the result of a combination of very common nighttime mistakes that, when repeated regularly, can lead to a heart attack or stroke while you sleep.
Below we look at five of the most dangerous nighttime habits and, most importantly, what you can do to avoid them.
1. Sleeping on your back with sleep apnea – silent suffocation
The most deadly mistake is ignoring obstructive sleep apnea, especially when sleeping on your back.
Loud snoring, stopping breathing for a few seconds, gasping for breath at night, or waking up feeling tired are not normal symptoms. These are clear signals that the airways are closing repeatedly during sleep, leading to a sudden drop in oxygen in the blood.
Every pause in breathing triggers an emergency reaction in the body:
increase in blood pressure
sudden release of adrenaline
rapid heartbeat
hundreds of micro-awakenings
Hundreds of such episodes can occur in a single night. It's like the heart is running a grueling marathon without rest.
Sleeping on your back makes the condition worse because gravity causes the tongue and soft palate to fall back, further narrowing the airway and increasing the risk.
What to do
Sleep on one side, preferably the left.
Use a pillow or support behind your back to prevent turning over.
Raise the top of the bed by 15–20 cm
See a sleep specialist if you have severe snoring or pauses in breathing.
2. Use of sleeping pills – a dangerous trap
Many people reach for sleeping pills in the hope of better sleep, but some medications can significantly worsen nighttime breathing.
Benzodiazepines and some hypnotics:
depress the nervous system
prolong pauses in breathing
Reduce the brain's ability to respond to a lack of oxygen
For people with sleep apnea or heart problems, this can be fatal. Long-term use is also associated with a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, cognitive decline, dementia, and nighttime falls.
What to do
Avoid self-medication
Prioritize lifestyle changes
Always seek medical attention to determine the cause of insomnia.
3. Sleeping in a bedroom that is too warm
To enter deep sleep, your body temperature needs to drop slightly. When your bedroom is too warm, your heart is forced to work harder at night.
This leads to:
rapid heartbeat
shallow and fragmented sleep
increase in blood pressure
higher risk of arrhythmias
The heart doesn't really rest.
What to do
Maintain a bedroom temperature between 16 and 20 °C
Ventilate or use a fan
Choose cotton or linen bedding
Avoid synthetic fabrics
4. Late and heavy dinner
A large dinner before bed keeps the body in “working mode” when it needs to recover.
The consequences are:
intense digestion at night
heartburn and micro-wakes
high blood pressure
increased workload on the heart
When the digestive system is working at full speed, the heart cannot rest.
What to do
Have dinner at least 3 hours before sleep.
Choose light meals
Avoid fried, fatty and sweet foods in the evening
When hungry – something very light
5. Chronic sleep deprivation
Regularly sleeping less than 6 hours per night is one of the most underestimated risk factors for cardiovascular health.
Lack of sleep leads to:
persistent high blood pressure
chronic inflammation
insulin resistance
elevated cortisol levels
Higher risk of heart attack and stroke
Sleep is not wasted time. It is the time when the body repairs itself.
What to do
Get 7–9 hours of sleep
Go to bed and get up at the same time.
Create a calming evening routine
Protect your sleep as a basic life necessity
Final tips and recommendations
Sleeping on one side could save lives with sleep apnea
Long-term use of sleeping pills should always be questioned
A cool bedroom is a health tool, not a luxury
An early and light dinner reduces nighttime workload on the heart
Quality sleep is one of the most effective ways to prevent heart disease.
Small but consistent changes have a huge effect in the long run.
Many heart attacks and strokes don't happen during the day, but quietly while you sleep. The good news is that much of this risk can be reduced by adjusting simple nighttime habits. Getting enough sleep is not a luxury, and it's not a waste of time—it's one of the most important decisions you can make to protect your life.
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