Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death in the UK (Image: Getty)
A doctor has highlighted a lesser-known symptom that could point to an underlying health issue. Dr Alex Wibberley has warned that regularly needing an extra pillow to feel comfortable in bed at night may not be as harmless as it seems. While it can appear to be a small change in sleeping habits, he says it may indicate a condition called orthopnea.
Orthopnea is shortness of breath that develops when a person lies flat and improves when they sit or stand upright. Some people may also notice a dry cough or wheezing while lying down, which eases once they change position. Many simply add another pillow to relieve the discomfort, but Dr Alex says doing so can mask the underlying cause. Speaking on his Doctor Alex YouTube channel, he described the symptom as one of several subtle warning signs linked to a future heart attack that can easily be missed. According to him, these signs may be connected to the stiffening of key blood vessels, which forces the heart to work harder.
Needing an extra pillow every night may be a warning sign of an underlying condition (Image: Getty)
Dr Alex explained that when the heart is put under increased pressure, it can respond in the same way as other muscles in the body — by becoming thicker over time to cope with the added workload.
But although a thickened heart may still be able to pump blood forcefully enough to keep circulation within a normal range, it can begin to struggle during the relaxation phase between heartbeats.
That problem is not always easy to detect through standard checks. Dr Alex said: “This doesn’t show up on a routine ECG. It won’t be caught in a standard GP check. But it shows itself in daily life.”
He added that the earliest signs of cardiovascular disease can often seem unremarkable, which is why many people dismiss them. They may be put down to a few busy days, a dip in fitness, or the natural effects of getting older.
An extra pillow might seem harmless but Dr Alex has explained where people might need to think twice (Image: Getty)
“That is exactly what makes them dangerous,” Alex says. “Take tiredness for example… the unusual fatigue after climbing just one flight of stairs.”
He points out that this isn’t the sort of thing many people will comment on.
They’ll simply accept it as par for the course with getting older.
As just one example, Alex says: “People start sleeping with an extra pillow without really consciously deciding to. They just find themselves more comfortable when they’re slightly upright.”
Fluid that has accumulated in your legs throughout the day will redistribute itself once you’ve been lying horizontal for a period. Particularly, it will migrate to your chest and begin placing pressure on your lungs.
Alex adds: “In emergency departments, that is a big red flag for heart failure… in somebody’s house, it’s just an extra pillow, but to [emergency room doctors] that means something.”
The encouraging news about these early warning signs is that they present a chance to prevent a future heart attack. “This window for changing this trajectory is really big. It’s years wide” he continues.
Exercise and diet are dependable methods for improving your heart health, with Alex continuing: “When you do sustained rhythmic movement – like walking briskly, or cycling, or swimming, or rowing, the increased blood-flow creates mechanical friction against the blood vessel wall.”
That friction, he explains, will encourage the body to produce more nitric oxide, the essential molecule that fights vascular inflammation and reduces blood pressure by relaxing and widening blood vessels.
“Studies have shown this happening within weeks, not months or years, of starting exercise, he adds. “The biology is more responsive than most people expect. “
Reducing your carbohydrate intake, too, will have a beneficial effect on your heart health, he says.
Alongside monitoring your blood pressure, these are the straightforward, accessible steps anyone can take to lower the risk of serious heart disease.
The NHS also has comprehensive advice on symptoms of cardiovascular disease and guidance on how to reduce your risk of developing it.
