An extensive study has revealed that a widespread nocturnal condition could act as an early indicator of dangerous hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. The research, carried out by sleep specialists at Flinders University, discovered that individuals – particularly overweight, middle-aged men – who snore regularly at night are at greater risk of elevated blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension.
The study, published in the Nature Digital Medicine journal, is the first to employ multiple home-based night-time monitoring technologies over a prolonged 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’s often overlooked for the health risks it can present, and regularly occurs alongside sleep apnoea – a condition where breathing suddenly stops during sleep, reports Edinburgh Live.
“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.
A study of 72,269 UK Biobank participants aged 40 to 79 found that while it didn’t define exactly how strict sleep routines should be, bigger variations in sleep patterns were linked to higher 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 can be an early warning sign of high blood pressure, as the disrupted sleep it causes may increase the risk of developing hypertension. Over time, high blood pressure can lead to serious health problems, 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 need to address snoring in clinical care and sleep disorder management, especially for managing 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 snore and have poor sleep quality, ongoing fatigue, or trouble breathing during sleep, it’s a good idea to consult your GP or a specialist. For further information on snoring, visit the NHS website here.