What if I tell you snoring is not a sign of deep sleep but a huge red flag waving at cardiovascular risk? In India, a country already grappling with high rates of obesity and heart disease, snoring might be more than just noise pollution. It could be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a condition that affects our arteries.
A recent study found that a staggering 104 million Indians suffer from sleep apnoea, with nearly 47 million of them in the moderate to severe category. Yet, only about 2 percent of them have received treatment.
Why? Because we have normalised it. We joke about how loud someone gets once they are out cold. What we do not realise is that this seemingly harmless habit could be the body crying out for help.
“Snoring is not a sign of good sleep,” says Dr. Aishwarya Rajkumar, Clinical Lead, Transplant Pulmonology at Rela Hospital, Chennai. “In fact, it can be an early indicator of something far more serious called obstructive sleep apnoea.” In OSA, the airway becomes partially or completely blocked during sleep, leading to pauses in breathing and drops in oxygen levels. Over time, this oxygen deprivation wreaks havoc on the cardiovascular system.
Dr. Rajkumar explains that this constant interruption of sleep can lead to a cascade of health issues like hypertension, heart blocks, arrhythmias, and even heart failure. And many people who experience these symptoms do not connect the dots. Daytime drowsiness? Must be from binge-watching. Irritability? Probably just stress. Morning headaches? Maybe a stiff pillow. But together, these symptoms could be signs ignored.
Add obesity to the mix, and the risk multiplies.
“Fat deposits around the neck and upper airway make the passage of air narrower. That is why many obese individuals snore; it is not just fat; it is physics,” says Dr. Rajkumar. When oxygen levels drop night after night, blood vessels suffer. The damage accumulates quietly until one day it results in a silent cardiac arrest during sleep.
So, if you are a loud snorer, overweight, constantly tired during the day, and often wake up feeling like you ran a marathon instead of sleeping, it is time to take it seriously. “These patients should undergo a sleep study,” advises Dr. Rajkumar. This test, typically done overnight, monitors breathing patterns, oxygen levels, and how often sleep is disturbed.
And what happens if the diagnosis confirms sleep apnoea?
There are options. For some, lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise might be enough. For others, a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine that ensures your airway stays open can make a world of difference. In certain cases, ENT specialists may need to step in if structural issues in the airway are causing the blockage.
