Breathing difficulty - lying down

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Breathing

Breathing difficulty while lying down is an abnormal condition in which a person must keep the head raised (by sitting or standing) to be able to breathe deeply or comfortably.

A specific type of breathing difficulty while lying down is paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. This condition causes a person to wake up suddenly during the night feeling short of breath.

Waking at night short of breath; Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea; PND; Difficulty breathing while lying down; Orthopnea

This is a common complaint in people with some types of heart or lung problems. Sometimes the problem is subtle. People may only notice it when they realize that sleep is more comfortable with lots of pillows under their head, or their head in a propped-up position.

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• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Cor pulmonale
• Heart failure
• Obesity (does not directly cause difficulty breathing while lying down but often aggravates other conditions that lead to it)
• Panic disorder
• Sleep apnea
• Snoring

Review Date: 01/31/2011
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).