Snoring is a Bigger risk factor for Heart Attack than Smoking

Do you snore loudly just about every night?

Is it bothering everyone in the house? If so,  don’t ignore it any longer.

Here’s why..

There was a snoring study done at the Henry Ford Hospital, and what they found is alarming.

They found that snoring is a bigger risk factor for stroke and heart attack than smoking, being overweight, or high cholesterol.

Yikes!

Here’s an excerpt from the study.

Here’s a wake-up call for snorers: Snoring may put you at a greater risk than those who are overweight, smoke or have high cholesterol to have thickening or abnormalities in the carotid artery, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

The increased thickening in the lining of the two large blood vessels that supply the brain with oxygenated blood is a precursor to atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries responsible for many vascular diseases.

“Snoring is more than a bedtime annoyance and it shouldn’t be ignored. Patients need to seek treatment in the same way they would if they had sleep apnea, high blood pressure or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease,” says lead study author Robert Deeb, M.D., with the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford.

The study reveals changes in the carotid artery with snorers – even for those without sleep apnea – likely due to the trauma and subsequent inflammation caused by the vibrations of snoring.

Another study also found that snoring significantly increases the risk of stroke and cardio vascular disease.

Here is an excerpt from that study.

“In order to evaluate the possible role played by snoring as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, we studied 400 patients aged 30-80 years, divided into 4 groups matched for age, sex and body mass index.

The first group consisted of 100 patients who snored, having risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking, high serum cholesterol level) for cardiovascular disease. The second group consisted of 100 non-snoring patients with risk factors.

We investigated the morbidity and the mortality from cardiovascular disease over a period of five years (1982-1987).

An increase in morbidity and mortality was found for snorers with risk factors (36 and 17 respectively) compared to non-snorers with risk factors (10 and 4, P less than 0.001)”

Snoring also causes daytime fatigue, lack of energy, depression, less sexual satisfaction and more.

There are lots of other studies I can show you about the health risks of habitual snoring and sleep apnea but for now….

Let’s move on to the other risk associated with snoring.

Your marriage and relationships

From talking to subscribers of my  stop snoring email newsletter, it’s sad to see just how damaging snoring can be to a relationship.

Here are some emails I have received recently that shows just how much pressure snoring can put on a relationship.

This one made me really sad. I wish she found my newsletter earlier.

” Hi Joe, my snoring was one of the main reasons our marriage of 30 years did not last. I am embarrassed by my snoring and really need to do something about it.”

Another one..

“Joe, my husband’s snoring is driving us apart. Help!”

Here’s one of many that shows just how much of an embarrassment snoring can be, especially for woman.

“Hi Joe.  I have been snoring since college.

It doesn’t matter if i sleep on my back or side, if I prop pillows under my head I snore.

It is very embarrassing. I hate to spend the night out. Cant do girls night sleepovers.

Hate to go on trips to share a room with others because I snore and I snore loudly.  My husband has to sleep in another room because he cant get sleep and i hate it.

I have tried the strips that go on your nose and the sprays. I think i have inherited snoring because my dad and aunt snore.

I just need some sort of help. I will like to live a normal life.”

So, how can you stop snoring?

Well, we know that snoring is caused by a partial blockage of the airway at night.

This can happen for various reasons.

In order for you to stop snoring, we have to get your airway to stay fully open at night.

Don’t be stubborn about it. Take some action and take care of the problem.

It’s not hard at all.

I usually tell people to do two things immediately.

1. Buy a Anti Snoring mouthpiece.

I suggest going with the VitalSleep or the Good Morning Snore Solution

They are both good and VitalSleep ships internationally for only $9.99.

These two devices are comfortable to wear and they help 92% of people to stop snoring immediately.

You can read more about them on our Best Anti Snoring Devices post.

2. Do some simple 3 minute exercises daily to strengthen your throat muscles.

These are the same exercises opera singers use, and they are super effective at preventing your throat muscles to collapse at night.

Some people have stopped snoring naturally with these exercises on day 1.

I would however give it a week or two to see the full benefit. After that, you might not need the mouthpiece anymore.

Thanks

Joe Stevens