New Delhi: People who snore heavy are
twice as likely to suffer a stroke as those
who sleep peacefully, a new study shows.
The researchers who observed more than
25,000 people during the study also found
that heavy snorers where 80 percent more
likely to experience heart problems.
Around three million people suffer with
the snoring condition called sleep apnea,
with one in four men and one in ten
women affected.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which
the breathing is briefly interrupted or
becomes shallow during sleep.
In sleep apnea, breathing pauses last
between 10 to 20 seconds, occurring n
number of times over the night, jolting
you out of your natural sleep rhythm.
Though treatment is available for sleep
apnea, most often it goes unrecognized.
Treatment involves sleeping with a mask
that pumps air into the throat.
Scientists from Shandong University in
China came up with the findings after
gathering data from 12 earlier studies.
The latest study suggests that dangers of
heavy snoring affecting the heart and the
brain are much greater than previously
thought. People with heavy snoring were
twice more likely to suffer a stroke, but
mild snorers face no increased risk, the
study suggested.
Scientists feel that the problem is caused
due to constant breathing interruptions
that affect blood flow to both these vital
organs. Another reason that scientists
point is that the heart rate and blood
pressure are drastically affected in people
suffering from this chronic sleep disorder.
Stroke happens when the blood supply to
the brain is blocked or when a blood
vessel in the brain bursts. It can kill or
leave you with a permanent disability.
The study was published in the
International Journal of Cardiology.
