Why Snoring May Impact Your Heart Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, especially for women. Snoring as well as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are early indicators of impending trouble with your heart and overall cardiovascular health.

How does snoring affect your heart? Does snoring put a strain on your heart? Snoring could be a key indicator of damage to the arteries responsible for supplying oxygen-rich blood to the brain, and snoring is also a bigger risk factor. Talk about a double whammy!

Snoring often occurs before a short pause in breathing, which is an OSA symptom, indicating a weak or closed airway. These breaks in breathing produce a rise in your heart rate and blood pressure as the heart must work harder and increase its signals for the need for oxygen.

According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the severity of OSA is associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac death. Sudden cardiac death kills more than 400,000 Americans a year. The heart unexpectedly stops beating because of problems with the heart’s electrical system.

How does snoring impact your health? And how does sleep affect your heart health?

People who don’t suffer from OSA experience lowered blood pressure while sleeping and a decreased heart rate that gives the heart a much-needed break.

People with sleep disorders, or those who experience sleep deprivation, maintain an elevated heart rate. For people with high blood pressure and OSA, this cycle makes lowering blood pressure even more difficult. The stress on the heart can lead to even more serious cardiovascular issues and medical issues, such as diabetes and stroke.

The sleep disorder is also strongly associated with obesity, stroke, and type II diabetes – all health troubles that can play into the development and worsening of cardiovascular problems. A person with sleep apnea may see their blood oxygen levels drop to less than 60 percent. Normally, these levels are at 95 to 100 percent. This hypoxemia may trigger a number of changes. Blood vessels constrict and increase blood pressure, causing spikes that can reach 240/130.

As snoring takes its toll, the heart’s walls may thicken, which could result in making it stiffer. This makes it more likely to develop an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia.

Even more serious than this is the increased risk for cardiovascular disease, which may lead to heart attack or stroke. Higher blood pressure leads to heart enlargement. Also, the low oxygen levels in the blood can decrease the size of blood vessels, further increasing the risk of heart disease, especially when other factors are present that lead to plaque buildup in the arteries.

Long story short: Solve your snoring issue by finding snoring solutions.

One in five adults suffers from at least mild sleep apnea, and OSA puts you at a 25 percent higher risk for heart attack. Snorers and people with mild OSA are often advised by their physicians to sleep on their sides. This easy fix, also known as positional therapy, works. A positional therapy sleep device aides in helping to achieve this sleeping position. It trains your body to sleep on your side, helping keep your airways open and reduce snoring or stop snoring.

While scientists believe that lack of sleep doesn’t necessarily cause heart disease, they do know that it increases the risk factors for heart disease. Educate yourself and your family on how to keep a healthy heart -- and turn to ZQuiet for the help you need to stop snoring. ZQuiet is a pioneer in offering innovative and proven snoring solutions that help you to stop snoring.