A major study has found people with the common habit could be at risk
A large study has revealed that a common night-time complaint could act as an early warning sign for dangerous hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. Research carried out by sleep specialists at Flinders University found that individuals, particularly overweight, middle-aged men who regularly snore, are more likely to suffer from elevated blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension, reports Surrey Live.
The study, published in the Nature Digital Medicine journal, is the first to utilise multiple home-based night monitoring technologies over an extended period to examine the connection between snoring and blood pressure. “For the first time, we can objectively say that there is a significant link between regular nighttime snoring and high blood pressure,” announced lead author Dr Bastien Lechat from the College of Medicine and Public Health.
“We discovered that 15 per cent of all participants in the study, who were primarily overweight men, snore for more than 20 per cent of the night on average and that this regular nightly snoring is associated with elevated blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension,” Dr Lechat added.
“These results underscore the importance of considering snoring as a factor in healthcare and treatment for sleep-related issues, particularly in managing hypertension.” While snoring is common, it is often not recognised for the health hazards it can pose, and frequently occurs alongside sleep apnoea. This involves sudden breathing pauses during sleep.
“We found that those who snore regularly had almost double the risk of uncontrolled hypertension. This risk nearly doubled again in individuals who snored regularly and suffered from sleep apnoea compared to those who didn’t snore regularly,” Professor Danny Eckert, Director of Sleep Health at Flinders University and senior author of the study, explained.
Drawing on 72,269 UK Biobank participants aged between 40 to 79, groundbreaking research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health did not pinpoint exactly how regimented one’s sleeping schedule must be, but noted that greater deviation led to heightened health risks.
Jean-Philippe Chaput from the University of Ottawa and lead author of the study remarked: “We should aim to wake up and go to sleep within 30 minutes of the same time each night and each morning, including weekends. Within an hour of the same time is good but less good than 30 minutes, and even better is to have zero variation.
“Beyond an hour’s difference each night and each morning means irregular sleep. That can have negative health impacts. The closer you are to zero variation the better.”
While the odd sleepless night won’t cause lasting harm, consistently disrupted sleep patterns can have severe consequences. “No one is perfect across a whole year, and if you don’t have a regular sleep pattern for one or two days a week, it’s not going to kill you. But if you repeatedly have irregular sleep, five or six days a week, then it becomes chronic, and that is a problem.”
Snoring could serve as an early warning sign of high blood pressure, as the poor-quality sleep it triggers may heighten the risk of developing hypertension. Prolonged high blood pressure can result in serious health complications, including heart failure, stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease.
In a nine-month study of over 12,000 participants worldwide, researchers used data from sleep trackers under mattresses to monitor snoring and sleep apnoea. They also used FDA-registered home blood pressure monitors.
“This is the largest study to date investigating the potential relationships between snoring, sleep apnoea and hypertension using objective assessments in people’s homes, and it reveals important insights into the potential consequences of snoring on hypertension risk,” Dr Lechat said.
The study highlights the importance of addressing snoring in clinical practice and sleep disorder management, particularly in controlling high blood pressure. “The findings of this study pave the way to further investigate whether therapeutic interventions directed toward snoring can reduce hypertension and reduce the risks associated with it,” he stated.
If you’re snoring and experiencing poor sleep quality, persistent fatigue, or breathing difficulties while asleep, it’s advisable to seek guidance from your GP or a specialist, who may recommend a sleep study. For further information on snoring, visit the NHS website here.
