Snoring is as bad as smoking for a heart

Many people think that snoring is no more than an irritation to your sleeping partner but it appears to be something much more serious.

Snoring indicates health issues such as cardiovascular problems, said researchers from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

They said that snoring has serious cardiovascular implication, as do smoking and obesity, so it should be treated with greater attention.

Sleep apnea, or a sudden halt of breathing during sleep, is linked to cardiovascular diseases and other health problems.

Symptoms are loud snoring, periodic lack of the supply of oxygen to the brain caused by closing of the air ducts.

Snoring may cause changes in the carotid artery, which pumps blood into brains and neck.

A total of 913 patients between the ages of 18 and 50 were examined.

Each participated in a sleep study between 2006 and 2012.

None of them had been diagnosed with sleep apnea.

The patients answered surveys and underwent ultrasound tests that measured how thick the inner layers of the arterial wall were.

The researchers found that the carotid arteries were thicker in those who snore than those who do not.

Thick arteries make it hard for blood to circulate through the body, thus burdening the heart.

The researchers also said that their findings were comparable to what is seen in smokers or patients with diabetes or hypertension.