Research carried out on snoring shows that many people snore without being aware of it. Some snorers, indeed, are suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, a curable sleep disorder characterised by cessation of breathing for 10 seconds, which experts warn makes high blood pressure harder to treat.
Most people can lower their blood pressure by making lifestyle changes such as exercising more, eating less salt and taking medications. But some people’s blood pressure remains high despite treatment because they snore.
Could snoring also play a role in making some people’s high blood pressure harder to treat? Well a new study has suggested that treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleeping condition, could reduce blood pressure in men with hypertension.
The study, which appeared in this month’s issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, examined the effectiveness of obstructive sleep apnea treatment on high blood pressure and diabetes control in 221 men with pre-existing hypertension or type 2 diabetes and a new diagnosis of OSA.
Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which there is one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They may occur 30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. While snoring is one of the symptoms of this disorder, it does not mean that all snorers suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes blocked air flow through the windpipe that lasts between 10 and 60 seconds. When this occurs, the brain quickly reacts to the sudden lack of oxygen, the muscles tighten, and the windpipe opens.
In this study, all of the men had a treatment called positive airway pressure within six weeks of being told they had sleep apnoea. People who have this treatment sleep with a mask over their nose, or their mouth and nose, to help them breathe and improve their sleep.
The researchers then measured the men’s blood pressure and blood sugar after three, six, nine, and 12 months. Men who had positive airway pressure treatment for sleep apnoea had lower blood pressure readings at every time point at which they were measured.
But there were quite large differences between individuals’ changes in blood pressure and the average change, which suggests the effect of the treatment could vary a lot from one person to another.
Unfortunately, “obstructive sleep apnea was found in those who have worst prognosis or outlook,” he said.
In some instances, he said, snoring could be due to alcohol consumption. “If an adult drank too much alcohol, it would relax the throat muscles because alcohol acts as a natural sedative,” he declared.
Nasal problems can also contribute to snoring. For instance, where the partition between the nostrils is curved, an individual could suffer nasal congestion. Also, pregnant women may begin snoring for the first time after three months of pregnancy. This occurrence may indicate a rise in blood pressure, which is dangerous during pregnancy.
The medical expert, stating that snoring generally worsens with age, thus making the sleep problem even higher among the elderly, declared that contrary to common perceptions, women snore just as much as men.
“The more the airway closes or is blocked, the harder the body has to work to push air, which puts pressure on the heart. That is why, over time, loud snoring can lead to high blood pressure. It explained why people who are just snorers have higher incidence of stroke and cardiovascular disorders too.”
“In elderly people with diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea is a very dangerous condition because such an individual can easily develop heart attack.”
Lifestyle changes and medical treatments can help stop snoring and the serious medical problems that follow it. “Your doctor will likely first recommend lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol close to bedtime and changing sleeping positions. If lifestyle changes don’t eliminate snoring, your doctor may suggest surgical procedures and so on.”
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