Snoring Can Indicate Serious Upper Airway Disorders. Blocked Airways Increase Blood Pressure, Damaging Arteries and Leading To Stroke
WASHINGTON (Reuters) Dental surgeons discover why snoring can kill: It can actually cause damage to the arteries.Although considered harmless, snoring can actually indicate a serious medical condition called sleep apnea. Marked by irregular breathing, sleep apnea often causes sufferers to stop breathing completely for up to several seconds and has even been linked to stroke and heart disease in some patients.
"When persons with sleep apnea fall asleep, their tongue falls back into their throat, blocking their airway," Dr. Arthur Friedlander, an oral surgeon who worked on the study conducted at University of California's School of Dentistry, said in a statement.
"As they struggle for breath, their blood pressure soars...This rise in blood pressure damages the inner walls of the carotid arteries lining the sides of the neck," he added. "Cholesterol and calcium stick to the injury sites and amass into calcified plaques, which block blood flow to the brain. The result is often a massive stroke."
According to Dr. Friedlander, these deposits of calcium deposits are merely the tip of the iceberg. "The X-ray can't show the true size of the plaque, which is also made up of fat, platelets, and other soft tissue." When a person is suffering from sleep apnea, air cannot flow in or out of the nose or mouth. Oxygen is not taken in so carbon dioxide builds to dangerous levels in the blood.
"It's like pressing a pillow over someone's face, "Friedlander said.
Lack of Sleep Linked To Weight Problems
American Diabetes Association Clinical Trials Suggest Lack of Sleep Linked To Overweight and Obesity
In addition to the known health problems caused by lack of sleep, research suggests that too little sleep causes hormone changes that might lead to obesity. 924 people, 18 to 91 years of age were divided into four groups: normal weight, overweight, obese, and extremely obese. The researchers compared body mass to total sleep time and concluded that the less people slept, the heavier they tended to be (except in the extremely obese group.)In addition to diet and exercise, quantity of sleep may be a key part of any weight-loss program. Overweight people are encouraged to examine their sleep quantity to improve weight-loss progress and results.




