The horrifying ways snoring could kill you – from ruptured blood vessels to car crashes

LOUD snoring could be putting your health at risk — and not just because it’s driving your partner mad.

Research shows the night time habit can cause a range of issues that could lead to your death.

Snoring can increase your risk of at least five deadly health risks, research shows

Around 30million Brits — 41.5 per cent of the population — snore, according to the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association.

It is “not just a ‘common nuisance of sleep’ but a condition” in its own right that causes lower oxygen levels while you’re asleep, according to experts.

Snoring can also be a symptom of more dangerous conditions, including obstructive sleep apnoea, which affects around one in eight people.

OSA has been linked to a range of deadly conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, type two diabetes.

And snoring in general has been linked to some more surprising health risks as well, including ruptured blood vessels to accidents at work.

Ruptured blood vessels

A recent study showed snoring can increase your risk of strokes caused by both blocked and ruptured blood vessels.

The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health, looked at data from more than 82,000 adults in China.

Researchers analysed their DNA to measure whether they were genetically likely to snore, and tracked whether they suffered a stroke.

Over an average of 10 years, some 19,623 participants suffered a stroke, including 11,483 cases of ischaemic stroke — caused by a blockage in the blood flow to the brain.

Some 5,710 suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, which is caused by a weakened artery in the brain suddenly starting to bleed because of a rupture.

Snorers were significantly more likely to suffer both types of stroke, researchers found.

Dr Yunqing Zhu, of Peking University, said: “Snoring was consistently shown as a potential causal factor for the increased risk of total stroke, hemorrhagic stroke and ischaemic stroke.

“Furthermore, such causal associations remained stable, independent of the effect of BMI.”

Dangerous accidents

Separate research shows snoring could double your chances of suffering an accident while at work.

The link could be caused by feeling excessively sleepy throughout the day, Swedish researchers suggested.

They tracked 2,874 men aged 30 to 64, who were asked questions on snoring and “excessive daytime sleepiness”.

The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, then looked at whether they suffered an occupational accident from 1985 to 1994.

A total of 345 occupational accidents were reported by 247 of the men.

Men who snored and had EDS were more than twice as likely to suffer an accident over the 10 years.

Professor Eva Lindberg, of Uppsala University Hospital, said: “Sleepy, male snorers have an increased risk of occupational accidents. 

“The results indicate that early identification and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing may reduce the number of injuries at work.”

Snoring and excessive sleepiness has also been shown to increase the risk of car crashes.

Heart disease

Snoring can also mean you’re at great risk of deadly heart disease.

Researchers analysed 2,320 adults who were aged 74 on average at the start of the nearly 10-year study.

They were split into four groups: people who didn’t snore or feel sleepy, people who did not snore but were sleepy, snorers who weren’t sleepy and sleepy snorers.

The study, published in the academic journal Sleep, looked at whether they suffered an incident caused by heart disease.

These included heart attacks, serious chest pain or heart failure that required staying in hospital overnight.

Those who snored and suffered sleepiness in the day were 46 per cent more likely to have an issue with heart disease.

Dr Yohannes Endeshaw, of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, said snoring and sleepiness could be early warning signs of heart disease in older people.

He said: “We think that these symptoms could be used as a simple and inexpensive method to identify older adults at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.”

High blood pressure

Snorers may also be at greater risk of fatal high blood pressure, research shows.

While the link between hypertension — as it is medically known — and sleep apnoea is well known, little research has looked at how snoring affects the risk on its own.

One study, published in the Journal of International Medical Research, looked at exactly that.

Researchers measured snoring, apnoea and blood pressure in 181 adults who were aged 49 on average.

They found snorers were significantly more likely to suffer high blood pressure, independently of whether they had sleep apnoea.

Professor Habibolah Khazaie, of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in Iran, said they were also more likely to be overweight.

He said: “Patients with hypertension had higher levels of snoring and apnoea, as well as indicators of excess weight. 

“Snoring was the most robust predictor of hypertension.”

Type 2 diabetes

Finally, snoring has also been linked to killer type 2 diabetes.

The condition causes blood sugar levels to become too high and increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Research, published in Diabetes & Metabolism Journal, measured snoring in 3,948 middle-aged adults who did not have heart disease.

South Korean researchers measured their blood sugar levels to see if they were at risk of diabetes.

People with the worst snoring were 84 per cent more likely to have prediabetes — a condition that occurs before type 2 diabetes.

They were also more than twice as likely to have diabetes as non-snorers.

Dr So Mi Jemma Cho, of Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, said: “Snoring is associated with impaired glucose metabolism even in otherwise metabolically healthy adults. 

“Habitual snorers may require lifestyle modifications and pharmacological treatment to improve glycaemic profile.”