A healthy person can drown in their sleep without waking up.
Evidence from multiple studies on Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) and fatal nocturnal arrhythmias demonstrates that otherwise healthy individuals can experience fatal cardiac events during sleep without waking up.
The retrieved papers document numerous cases and genetic mechanisms (such as SUNDS and channelopathies like Brugada syndrome) where otherwise healthy young people die in their sleep due to sudden cardiac events or arrhythmias without waking up, supporting the claim.
Jingjing Zheng, D. Zheng, Terry Su, Jianding Cheng. Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome: The Hundred Years' Enigma. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.117.007837
Sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrome (SUNDS) describes fatal cardiac events occurring during sleep in seemingly healthy individuals.
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Lei Huang, Kuo-Ho Wu, Liyong Zhang, Qinchuan Wang, Shuangbo Tang, Qiuping Wu, P. Jiang, J. J. Lin, Jian Guo, Lin Wang, S. Loh, Jianding Cheng. Critical Roles of Xirp Proteins in Cardiac Conduction and Their Rare Variants Identified in Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome and Brugada Syndrome in Chinese Han Population. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.117.006320
Genetic variants associated with cardiac conduction defects can cause sudden fatal arrhythmias during sleep.
Pitsini Mongkhonsiri, T. Tong-un, J. Wyss, S. Roysommuti. Blunted Nighttime Sympathetic Nervous System Response to Stress Among Thai Men with Positive Family History of Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome.. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1536/ihj.18-061
Blunted nighttime sympathetic autonomic responses in vulnerable individuals can trigger lethal nocturnal cardiac arrhythmias.
Supawon Srettabunjong. Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome: Epidemiological and Morphological Characteristics in Thai Autopsy Cases. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.13924
Autopsy studies document healthy young adults dying suddenly in their sleep from nocturnal cardiac and respiratory collapse.
Aummarin Chaloemthanetphong, K. Choowongkomon, W. Worrapitirungsi, Nattachai Thangsiriskul, T. Sathirapatya, Poonyapat Sukawutthiya, Hasnee Noh, Ashfaque Ahmed Kanhar, P. Varrathyarom, I. Lertparinyaphorn, Napapat Natthasumon, S. Bongsebandhu-Phubhakdi, Vichaya Auvichayapat, Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin. SCN5A missense variants and their contribution to deaths in Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS).. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2025.103237
SCN5A channelopathy mutations strongly link to sudden nocturnal death in otherwise healthy individuals.
Ashfaque Ahmed Kanhar, Aummarin Chaloemthanetphong, K. Choowongkomon, Nattachai Thangsiriskul, W. Worrapitirungsi, Rachtipan Pitiwararom, T. Sathirapatya, Poonyapat Sukawutthiya, Hasnee Noh, P. Varrathyarom, I. Lertparinyaphorn, Napapat Pananpatcha, Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin. Genetic analysis and in silico prediction of CACNA1S and RYR1 variants of sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrome in Thai population.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2026.103529
Skeletal muscle and cardiac conduction genetic variants contribute to the risk of sudden nocturnal death.
Supawon Srettabunjong, Duangkamon Eakkunnathum, W. Thongnoppakhun, O. Sripichai. Association between SCN5A and sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrome in Thai decedents: a case–control study. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41935-019-0145-3
Cardiac conduction system abnormalities can cause sudden death during sleep in healthy young adults.
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