2. Difficulty breathing while lying flat
Orthopnea is the medical term for having trouble getting enough air when lying down. People with this condition often must prop their heads up on pillows to sleep. Most of the time, orthopnea happens when your heart isn’t strong enough to pump out all the blood your lungs send. Heart failure is the name for this. This weakness can be caused by heart disease, cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure, etc.