You shake the walls with your snoring each night ? This nocturnal nuisance should be taken particularly seriously according to American researchers from the University of Detroit.
As dangerous as high blood pressure?
They studied 54 men and women between the ages of 18 and 50 who completed questionnaires about their snoring habits. The volunteers then had ultrasound scans to measure the thickness of their carotid artery, the artery that supplies the brain with oxygenated blood. The researchers found that the wall of this artery was much thicker in snorers.
This thickening could be caused by the constant vibrations of snoring which induce inflammation. The hardening of this artery and other arteries in the body would lead to an increased risk of cerebral hemorrhages, stroke and heart attack. The results of this study have just been published in the journal The Laryngoscope.
Dr Robert Deeb, from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit who led the research, said: “Our study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that snoring may not be as benign as previously thought. ( …) Patients need to be treated in the same way as if they were suffering fromSleep Apneaofhigh blood pressure or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”
The researchers will continue their studies on a larger scale to verify whether the risk of stroke or heart attack is actually higher in people who snore.
