The largest study of its kind has discovered that a common night-time condition could be an early warning sign of dangerous hypertension - or high blood pressure . New research from sleep experts at Flinders University in Australia found that people, particularly overweight middle-aged men, who regularly snore at night are more likely to have elevated blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension. The study, published in the Nature Digital Medicine journal, is the first to utilise multiple night home-based monitoring technologies over an extended period to investigate the link between snoring and blood pressure.
"For the first time, we can objectively say that there is a significant connection between regular night time snoring and high blood pressure," stated lead author Dr Bastien Lechat from the College of Medicine and Public Health. "We found that 15 per cent of all participants in the study, who were primarily overweight men, snore for more than 20 per cent of the night on average and that this regular nightly snoring is associated with elevated blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension," Dr Lechat added. "These results emphasise the importance of considering snoring as a factor in healthcare and treatment for sleep-related issues, especially in the context of managing hypertension.
" Snoring is a common issue and its negative health implications are often underestimated. Snoring and sleep apnoea - suddenly stopping breathing during sleep - often occur together, reports.