Summary: Regular snoring, especially in overweight middle-aged men, is linked to high blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension. The study used home monitoring to objectively show the link between snoring and hypertension.
The findings highlight the need to address snoring in healthcare, particularly when managing hypertension. This large-scale study highlights the potential long-term health consequences of snoring.
Highlights:
- Snoring and hypertension: Regular snoring is significantly linked to high blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension.
- Study scale: The largest objective study using home monitoring over nine months with 12,000 participants.
- Health consequences: The results suggest that snoring should be considered in clinical care for the management of hypertension.
Source: Flinders University
Those loud snores that keep you up at night could be more than just a noisy nuisance: they could be a warning sign of dangerous high blood pressure.
New research by sleep experts at Flinders University has found that people, particularly overweight middle-aged men, who regularly snore at night are more likely to have high blood pressure and low blood pressure. uncontrolled hypertension.
The study, published in the prestigious Natural digital medicine journal is the largest objective study and the first to use multiple nighttime home monitoring technologies over an extended period of time to explore the association between snoring and hypertension.
“For the first time, we can say objectively that there is a significant link between regular nighttime snoring and high blood pressure,” explains Dr. Bastien Lechat, lead author of the study.
“We found that 15 percent of all study participants, who were primarily overweight men, snored on average more than 20 percent of the night and that this regular nighttime snoring was associated with high blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension,” explains Dr Lechat.
“These findings highlight the importance of considering snoring as a factor in health care and treatment of sleep-related problems, particularly in the context of hypertension management.” »
Snoring is a common phenomenon that affects a significant percentage of the population and is often underestimated in terms of negative health consequences. Snoring and sleep apnea often overlap, indicating common causes.
“We observed that among those who snore regularly, the risk of having uncontrolled hypertension was almost double. This risk almost doubled in people who snored regularly and had sleep apnea compared to those who did not snore regularly,” says Professor Danny Eckert, director of sleep health at Flinders University and lead author. of the article.
Snoring alone can also be a warning sign of high blood pressure, as poor sleep quality due to snoring can increase the risk of high blood pressure.
Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure over a long period of time. This can lead to serious health problems such as heart failure, stroke, heart disease, or kidney disease.
The study used sleep tracking data collected by a sensor placed under the mattress to detect snoring and sleep apnea, as well as an FDA-registered home blood pressure monitor in more than 12,000 participants worldwide over a period of nine months.
“This is the largest study to date examining potential relationships between snoring, sleep apnea and hypertension using objective assessments in people’s homes, and it reveals important information about the potential consequences of snoring on the risk of hypertension”, explains Dr Lechat.
“It also highlights the need to consider snoring as part of clinical care and management of sleep problems, particularly in the context of hypertension management.”
“The results of this study pave the way for further research into whether therapeutic interventions directed against snoring can reduce hypertension and reduce the risks associated with it,” he adds.
If you experience snoring accompanied by signs of insufficient sleep, excessive sleepiness or breathing problems observed during sleep, it is advisable to discuss it with your doctor or a specialist who can recommend a sleep study.
About this research news on hypertension and sleep
Author: Karen Ashford
Source: Flinders University
Contact: Karen Ashford – Flinders University
Picture: Image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Free access.
“Regular snoring is associated with uncontrolled hypertension” by Bastien Lechat et al. Natural digital medicine
Abstract
Regular snoring is associated with uncontrolled hypertension
Snoring may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease independent of other comorbidities. However, most previous studies have relied on a subjective, self-reported assessment of snoring.
This study objectively assessed the prevalence of snoring over several months using home monitoring technology and its association with the prevalence of hypertension.
In this study, 12,287 participants were monitored every night for approximately six months using sensor technology placed under the mattress to estimate the average percentage of sleep time spent snoring per night and the sleep index. estimated apnea-hypopnea (eAHI).
Blood pressure monitor readings from multiple daytime assessments were averaged to define uncontrolled hypertension based on a mean systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or a mean diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg.
Associations between snoring and uncontrolled hypertension were examined using logistic regressions controlled for age, body mass index, sex, and eAHI. Participants were middle-aged (mean ± standard deviation; 50 ± 12 years) and most were men (88%).
There were 2,467 cases (20%) of uncontrolled hypertension. Approximately 29, 14, and 7% of the study population snored an average of >10, 20, and 30% per night, respectively.
A higher proportion of time spent snoring (75th vs. 5th; 12% vs. 0.04%) was associated with an approximately 1.9-fold increase (OR (95% CI); 1.87 (1.63, 2.15)) uncontrolled hypertension, independent of sleep. apnea.
Objective assessments of snoring over multiple nights and repeated daytime blood pressure recordings in a large global consumer sample indicate that snoring is common and positively associated with hypertension.
These results highlight the potential clinical utility of simple, objective, non-invasive methods to detect snoring and its potential adverse health consequences.