Snoring linked to hypertension, heart disease

A man deep asleepSnoring is a sleeping habit that many never think of as bad for their health. But, the chance of suffering from strokes and heart diseases is higher in those who snore compared with others who do not snore, reports Sade Oguntola.

For people that snore loudly during sleep, finding ways to correct it may be highly necessary so that they do not die young. Snoring is a habit experts have said may predispose such an individual to several health problems, including stroke and hypertension.

Although snoring is often seen as funny or something to laugh about, it could have serious implications. Studies on older children and adults have linked snoring to behavioural problems, mental impairment, and heart and metabolic disease.

For several years now, scientists have been aware of a relationship between snoring and cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and strokes. The chance of suffering from strokes and heart diseases is higher in those who snore compared with others who do not snore.

However, a team of Hungarian scientists at Semmelweis University in Budapest in Hungary that interviewed 12,000 patients in their homes about snoring to assess any correlation between snoring and stroke discovered that compared with the rest of the population, loud snorers had a 34 per cent increased risk of having a heart attack, and a 67 per cent greater chance of suffering a stroke. Factors such as age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, level of education, smoking, and alcohol consumption were all taken into consideration by the researchers.

Quiet snoring was associated only with an increased risk for hypertension in women. Loud snoring was also associated with increased use of health care resources (emergency visits and hospitalisation). This new data, published in the Journal Sleep, adds weight to existing theories about the link between snoring and cardiovascular disease.

Most people snore at some stage in their lives. Moreover, while it is more common in people who are overweight, about 40 per cent of adult males and 24 per cent of adult females are estimated to be habitual snorers.

While the data, published in the Journal Sleep, highlighted the fact that people who snore quietly had no increase in their risk of cardiovascular illness, the researchers however said that loud snoring with breathing pauses could help identify people at risk from these diseases.

According to the study’s co-author Istvan Mucsi, “Our findings suggest that loud snoring with breathing pauses carries a significantly increased risk for heart disease and is close to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on the spectrum of sleep disordered breathing.”

Dr. Ranti Familoni, Head, Department of Medicine and a cardiologist at Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital (OSUTH), Sagamu, described snoring as a sound made in the upper airway of the throat during sleep. It normally occurs as air is breathing in through the nose and a sign that the airway is partially blocked.

The expert said that in some that snore loudly, referred to as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the tissue in the back of the throat collapses to block the entire airway. This keeps air from getting in to the lungs. It occurs because the muscles inside the throat relax during sleep. Gravity then causes the tongue to fall back and block the airway. It can happen a few times a night or several hundred times per night.

Dr Familoni, while explaining why those that snore have a higher chance of developing stroke unlike others that do not snore, said that in those that snore, they tend to experience repeated deprivation of oxygen to their brain. This can cause high blood pressure, which can damage the carotid arteries on each side of the neck. The carotid arteries carry oxygen to the brain. The damage can lead to the development of cholesterol and calcium containing plaque, which further restricts blood flow to the brain and can lead to stroke.

He said the increased blood pressure in these snorers tend to put more pressure on the heart, making them more prone to developing heart disease and hypertension.

Dr Familoni said in when a snorer has hypertension, there is the possibility that the hypertension become more severe, thus further making them more prone to heart disease as compared with those that snore but without high blood pressure.

He declared that for this group of snorers with high blood pressure, even when they are at sleep, the possibility that there blood pressure would go down cannot be guaranteed even though they are on medications. “These are called the non-dippers. In most people when they sleep, the blood pressure drops. However, in this group, there blood pressure does not drop and so this creates more strains on the heart. This makes them more prone to severe hypertension and heart disease,” he stated.

So what can you do about snoring? American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggested the following tips on how to stop snoring:

• Avoid sleeping on your back.

•Raise the head of the bed 4 inches or so

• Lose weight

• Avoid drinking alcohol within three hours of bedtime. Do not take a drink to help you fall asleep.

•Stop smoking.

•Avoid medications that relax the muscles (if possible).

• Don’t eat a heavy meal within three hours of bedtime.

•Ask your bed partner to wake you if you snore.

• Exercise to improve your physical condition.

• Try nasal strips or nasal dilators to keep the nostrils open.

• Ask your dentist about oral appliances to help stop snoring and control sleep apnea.

• If the problem is severe and/or if you stop breathing during sleep get checked by a sleep physician.