Snoring: riskier for women’s hearts
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.Women snore significantly less than men. If they do, however, it obviously puts more strain on their heart: Among other things, there is a risk of cardiac insufficiency and heart attack.
Snoring is not just a problem for those living next to you. At least when there are nocturnal pauses in breathing (obstructive sleep apnea), it can even be dangerous for the snorer himself. Especially with women.
Breathing pauses in the night
During the pauses in breathing, the oxygen level in the blood drops rapidly. The body reacts with a wake-up reaction: blood pressure and heart rate climb up - often many times a night. Even if the person concerned does not remember it, he feels bruised the next morning. In the long term, this stress can cause heart failure.
Researchers led by Adrian Curta from the University of Munich Hospital evaluated the findings of around 5,000 people whose hearts had been examined in a magnetic resonance tomograph (MRT). They compared the findings with information provided by the participants on whether they snored or even suffered from known obstructive sleep apnea.
Thickened heart walls
"We were able to determine an increase in the left ventricular mass both in the snorers and in the participants with obstructive sleep apnea," says Adrian Curta from the University of Munich Hospital.
In plain language. This is an indication of left ventricular hypertrophy. The heart muscle is overloaded and thickened. In the long term, this makes work more difficult for the heart and can have serious consequences. For example, a left heart failure with impaired performance and shortness of breath, but also atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias or even a heart attack or sudden cardiac death.
Sleep apnea often goes undetected
Since snoring is considered harmless, the researchers assume that sleep apnea was previously undetected in many snoreers. This is also supported by the fact that a noticeably small number of participants had been diagnosed with scarf apnea.
Especially with women: they already had changes in the left side of their heart when they merely indicated that they were snoring. "Heart function seems to suffer faster in women than in men," explains Curta.
Curta emphasizes the importance of snoring men and women getting screened for obstructive sleep apnea. The partner who observes you while you sleep can already provide an indication of this. It is even safer to have your breathing tested in a sleep laboratory while you sleep.
Breathing mask against lack of oxygen
Nocturnal pauses in breathing are treated with a special breathing mask. This ensures a higher air pressure and thus keeps the airways open. Sometimes lifestyle changes are enough to reduce snoring and avoid breathing pauses at night. This includes consuming less alcohol, especially before bed, and breaking down excess fat deposits.
Snoring comes with age
Snoring is a common phenomenon. With increasing age, not only does the skin slacken, the throat also loses its elasticity. According to the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine, 20 to 46 percent of middle-aged to older men snore. Women of this age are 8 to 25 percent affected.
The proportion of people who also suffer from obstructive sleep apnea is unclear, as the number of unreported cases seems to be very high. The problem is often only noticed when the person concerned has been examined under anesthesia prior to an operation. Of these, according to a study, it was at least 22 to 82 percent. It is known to only 37 percent of men and 2 to 5 percent of women.
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