Snoring dangerous for women

A new study says both snoring and obstructive sleep apnea could lead to earlier impairment of cardiac function in women.

“Snoring” refers to a sleeping pattern in which a person breathes while emitting a snorting or grunting sound.

Although, the National Sleep Foundation suggests that 90 million
people in the United States snore, snoring might become more dangerous
as people age, and it can also lead to heart disease, especially for
women.

There are different types of sleep apnea, but the most common is
called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). At least 18 million U.S. adults
have sleep apnea.

This condition affects breathing patterns while sleeping, causing a
person to stop breathing and start again repeatedly. About half of
people who snore loudly have OSA.

When OSA occurs, the muscles in the throat that are responsible for keeping the airway open actually prevent the flow of air.

According to a new study presented recently at the annual meeting of
the Radiological Society of North America — held in Chicago, IL —
snoring and OSA may lead to earlier impairment of cardiac function in
women than in men.

It is unclear whether or not sleep apnea directly causes heart
disease, but some specialists believe that people with sleep apnea are
at risk of developing hypertension, or high blood pressure.

Many people who have sleep apnea also have co-existing diseases. This
is one of the reasons why it is harder to establish a direct link
between sleep apnea and heart disease.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), some people living
with sleep apnea and high blood pressure who received treatment for
sleep apnea also saw their blood pressure drop. Such findings show a
possible link between hypertension and sleep apnea.

OSA is also associated with obesity, which is a risk factor for heart disease.

Obesity contributes to sleep apnea, and the sleep deprivation that
sleep apnea causes can give rise to further obesity, in the long-term.
As a person gains more weight, the throat muscles that keep the airway
open relax, and sleep apnea becomes more serious.

The researchers analyzed data associated with cardiac parameters in
relation to diagnosed OSA and self-reported snoring using data from the
UK Biobank.

The UK Biobank is an international health resource, open to
researchers, that aims to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and
treatment of diseases.

The data were of 4,877 participants who had received a cardiac MRI
scan. The scientists divided them into three groups: those with OSA,
those with self-reported snoring, and those with neither.

When the researchers compared the snoring group with the group
without sleep disorders, they found a striking difference in the left
ventricular mass in women compared with men.

Increased left ventricular mass means that the heart needs to work harder to fulfil the body’s needs.

These patterns in people who self-reportedly snore may be an indication of undiagnosed OSA.

“We found that the cardiac parameters in women appear to be more
easily affected by the disease and that women who snore or have OSA
might be at greater risk for cardiac involvement.”

The researchers also found that the number of diagnosed OSA cases in
the study was extremely low, suggesting that OSA may be underdiagnosed
across the board.

Dr. Curta, a radiology resident at Munich University Hospital in
Germany, urges people who snore to get screened for OSA and those with
OSA to seek treatment.

“I would encourage people who snore to ask their partner to observe
them and look for phases during sleep when they stop breathing for a
short while and then gasp for air,” says Dr. Curta.

“If unsure, they can spend the night at a sleep lab where breathing
is constantly monitored during sleep and even slight alterations can be
recorded.”

The team now hopes to conduct more research to fully understand the sex differences linked to snoring and OSA.