What causes chest tightness and discomfort at night during sleep?
Apr 16, 2023
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Tian Hongbo
Introduction
Feeling chest tightness and discomfort at night during sleep may be caused by excessively high ambient temperature, poor indoor air circulation, or the body's inability to obtain sufficient oxygen. It could also result from long-term sleep deprivation or excessive mental stress leading to cardiac neurosis, which affects heart function. Additionally, it might be due to pre-existing hypertension, where elevated blood pressure reduces the vasodilatory capacity of heart blood vessels, causing impaired systemic blood circulation.
In general, chest tightness and discomfort during sleep at night may be caused by non-disease factors, or by medical conditions such as cardiac neurosis or hypertension. A detailed analysis is as follows:
1. Non-disease factors
This may result from excessively high room temperature during sleep, poor indoor ventilation, and insufficient oxygen supply to the body. Symptoms usually gradually improve after adjusting the indoor temperature.
2. Disease factors
1) Cardiac Neurosis
Prolonged熬夜 (staying up late), excessive mental stress, or emotional strain may lead to cardiac neurosis, causing nervous system dysfunction and affecting heart function. Medications such as alprazolam tablets, estazolam tablets, or flupentixol-melitracen tablets may be used under medical guidance.
2) Hypertension
Chest discomfort may occur in patients with hypertension when elevated blood pressure impairs vasodilation of the cardiac blood vessels, leading to poor systemic circulation. Treatment may include medications such as enalapril maleate tablets, lisinopril tablets, or captopril tablets, used under a physician's direction.
In addition, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease could also be a possible cause. It is recommended to seek timely medical evaluation, obtain an accurate diagnosis, and undergo appropriate treatment.
