Breathing Pauses at Night Linked to More Atrial Fibrillation
Graded Moderate — a registered meta-analysis of 21 cohort studies with over 600,000 people, but all observational, with moderate heterogeneity for new atrial fibrillation.
- Design
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- Participants
- 611,898
- Duration
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- Funding
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Sleep-disordered breathing was associated with more new atrial fibrillation and more frequent recurrence.
People with sleep-disordered breathing, meaning repeated pauses or dips in breathing during sleep, developed atrial fibrillation more often across 21 cohort studies. This meta-analysis pooled 611,898 people and found a risk of new atrial fibrillation about two thirds higher. The risk climbed by roughly 2 percent for each additional breathing event per hour. Recurrence after treatment was also more common, with consistent results across 11 studies. Whether treating the breathing problem prevents the arrhythmia cannot be judged here: the data are observational, and CPAP mask therapy was reported too inconsistently to analyze.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.
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