The Stroke Connection: Heavy Snoring and Narrow Arteries

By David Volpi, M.D., P.C., F.A.C.S., The Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center

In a study completed last year in Australia, researchers calculated that heavy snorers have an elevated risk for carotid artery stenosis, a narrowing of the arteries that supply the brain with blood. When those arteries are blocked, it can lead to stroke.

It’s been long known that high cholesterol, hypertension, smoking and obesity are linked to carotid artery narrowing. This new risk as discovered after 110 volunteers – a mixture of men and women ages 45-80—were measured for the extent of plaque in the arteries and spent the night in a sleep lab monitoring the timing of their snoring. The study showed that those that were the heaviest snorers (after adjusting for sex, body mass index, hypertension and other factors) had the 10 times the risk of those who snored the least.

Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney, John R. Wheatley was the lead researcher, and believes that the vibrations of snoring may cause damage to the epithelium, the cells that line the inside of the artery, leading to inflammation and plaque buildup. He acknowledges that the results of this study do not establish a “causal relationship” between artery blockage and snoring. For that a much larger sample must be studied. However it is clear that the study reveals heavy snoring may increase the risk for stroke.

Are you a heavy snorer? Snoring may be caused by a number of factors, and can be treated. Often lifestyle changes such as losing weight, exercise, quitting smoking and stopping alcohol consumption prior to bed are enough to cause snoring to stop. However, sometimes snoring is caused by physical issues such as nasal obstruction or chronic sinus infections. Whatever the cause, there are non-surgical and surgical means that can treat snoring.

If you are a heavy snorer, we recommend you have an examination by an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat) physician to assess what is causing your snoring and how it should be treated. For more information on the causes of snoring, visit www.nycsnoringsleepapneacenter.com.

If you’re within the New York tri-state area, contact the Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center today to schedule an appointment.