How vibrations from snoring may block up your arteries... and other health problems that can have VERY surprising side-effects
- - A sprained or damaged ankle can lead to recurrent headaches
- - Not getting enough sleep can increase your risk of cancer
- - Sore knuckles may place your heart at risk
By DAVID HURST
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Snoring not only puts you in your partner's bad books and can lead to a sharp jab in the ribs, but latest research shows it can affect your eyesight, too.
Researchers in Taiwan recently announced that people with the condition sleep apnoea, which causes loud snoring, are almost twice as likely to develop the eye disorder glaucoma.
Three million Britons have sleep apnoea, where the tissue of the throat muscles collapse, triggering snoring and, in some cases, stopping the flow of air altogether, leading to a person briefly waking.
Hidden connections: Sleep apnoea can trigger stroke and heart trouble
Taiwanese scientists analysed data from 1,000 patients with sleep apnoea and 6,000 without it. Sufferers were 1.67 times more likely to develop glaucoma - where increased pressure within the eyeball causes gradual loss of sight.
Researchers believe sleep apnoea may reduce the amount of oxygen getting to the eye, increasing the risk of glaucoma, but say more research is needed.
But it's not the only condition connected to a seemingly unrelated one. Here, we explore some more...
SNORING AND CLOGGED ARTERIES
Snoring can trigger stroke and heart trouble, too. Frequent snorers are more likely to develop narrowed carotid arteries - the main arteries in the neck that supply oxygenated blood to the brain, according to one study.
Researchers at the University of Detroit believe that the trauma caused by the vibrations of snoring may result in inflammation that leads to arteries thickening. They say this is the first stage of atherosclerosis, where the arteries become stiff and furred.
This can increase the risk of stroke, however some experts say more research is needed to prove this link.
'Whether vibrations of snoring can damage the carotid artery is possible, but as yet unproven,' says Dr Philip MacCarthy, clinical director of cardiovascular services at King's College Hospital, London.
Snoring has also been linked to hardening of the arteries around the heart, which can lead to heart attacks. It's thought this may be due to sleep apnoea. This can increase inflammation in the body, which may contribute to furred arteries.
HEADACHES AND A SPRAINED ANKLE
They may be at opposite ends of the body, but a sprained or damaged ankle could lead to recurrent headaches. This is thought to be because ankle damage causes us to change our walk to protect the damaged joint.
We may continue to walk differently months or even years after the joint has healed and this can put knees, hips and even the head and neck out of alignment.
'The body's movement patterns will change, with a domino-type effect up the body,' says James Myers, of County Chiropractic in Exeter and Okehampton Chiropractic Clinic. 'For instance, when walking up or down stairs, pain or physical restrictions from an ankle injury mean you subconsciously lift onto the tips of your toes.
'You tend to rock your weight back onto your good foot when you step forwards, causing you to arch your back, elevate a shoulder and tilt your head backwards.'
He explains this can lead to so-called cervicogenic headaches (headaches arising from the cervical spine, the bones that make up the neck) as the upper back, shoulders and neck become chronically overworked. This can trap and irritate nerves leading up to the skull triggering head pain.
James Ritchie, consultant orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon of the British Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, adds: 'Some people suffering from ankle injuries do also describe headaches, but there's no real evidence yet.'
INSOMNIA AND CANCER
Not getting enough sleep can not only lead to you feeling grumpy the next morning, it may also increase your risk of cancer.
In a study in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, men who reported trouble sleeping were up to twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as those who slept well.
Insomnia alert: Not getting enough sleep may increase your risk of cancer
The authors, from the Icelandic Cancer Society, say lack of sleep may lead to low levels of the hormone melatonin.
This is released at night and creates feelings of sleepiness.
This may be because exposure to light, such as a bedside light or TV, prevents melatonin being released, and insomniacs are more likely to be exposed to night-time light.
Melatonin may help suppress tumour growth, so low levels may increase cancer risk.
A Japanese study found women who slept for six hours or less every night were 62 per cent more likely to have breast cancer than those who slept seven hours or more.
MENOPAUSE AND INDIGESTION
Going through the menopause doesn't just leave you with hot flushes, it can also increase the risk of indigestion.
Changes in oestrogen and testosterone levels, which occur before and during menopause, can alter the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract and lead to indigestion. Hormone fluctuations can cause the liver to work harder to break food down, leaving less energy for the body to devote to the digestive process.
SORE KNUCKLES AND HEART DISEASE
Painful joints may place your heart at risk, according to a 15-year study of 8,000 people.
Men with osteoarthritis in a finger joint were 42 per cent more likely to die of heart disease than men without osteoarthritis. Women were at a 26 per cent higher risk than those without the disease.
Osteoarthritis, caused by wear and tear making joints swollen and painful, affects eight million Britons. Though the link between the condition and heart disease is not clearly understood, it's thought weight may be a factor.
Some studies suggest high levels of blood fats associated with heart disease may also accelerate the breakdown of bone cartilage - a factor in all types of osteoarthritis, but especially the finger, said lead researcher Dr Mikko Haara, at the University of Kuopio in Finland.
'There's also evidence that some sex hormones have an effect in the development of osteoarthritis and heart disease,' he says.
IRREGULAR PERIODS AND DIABETES
Up to one in ten women of reproductive age has polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
This not only causes irregular periods and fertility problems, but can increase the risk of developing diabetes.
The condition causes the formation of tiny harmless cysts in the ovaries, and reduces the number of eggs they produce.
The syndrome is thought to be caused by high levels of the hormone insulin, which mops up blood sugar.
High insulin levels are also thought to trigger the ovaries to produce high levels of the male hormone testosterone, though it is not known why.
This can lead to excessive hair growth, but can also raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Women with PCOS may also be at increased risk of heart disease, possibly because of the higher levels of insulin.
MIGRAINES AND STROKE
Migraines, particularly those with flashing lights (known as aura), increase the risk of stroke by 21 per cent.
A stroke occurs when part of the brain is deprived of its blood supply because of a clot (known as an ischaemic stroke) or when there is a bleed in the brain (haemorrhagic stroke).
After following 19,000 men and women over 26 years, Icelandic researchers concluded that people who had migraine with aura were at higher risk of dying from heart disease and stroke.
Flashing lights: Migraines, particularly severe ones with aura, increase the risk of stroke by over 20 per cent
Those who had migraine without aura were not at increased risk. A 13-year study involving nearly 28,000 American women found those who had migraine with aura were at a higher risk of haemorrhagic stroke.
'For women under 40, migraine aura has always been considered an independent risk factor for stroke, with female hormones thought responsible,' says Dr Andy Dowson, director of the headache service at King's College Hospital, London.
'But recently it's emerged that everyone with migraine aura has an increased risk of stroke. The exact mechanism is not fully understood, but is likely to be influenced by factors related to blood clotting.'
STOMACH PROBLEMS AND BACK PAIN
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - a group of inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract - can trigger back pain.
The conditions cause inflammation and damage to the gut lining. It's thought these can lead to toxic substances leaking out from the gut and causing inflammation in the joints.
A quarter of IBD patients have arthritis, says Dr Andrew Poullis, consultant gastroenterologist at St George's Hospital, London.
A sore back may also arise from pancreatitis, which occurs when the pancreas - a gland behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes - becomes inflamed.
'There's a complex network of nerves near the pancreas, so pancreatitis can stimulate them and cause back pain,' says Giles Bond-Smith, a liver and pancreatic surgeon at the Royal London Hospital.
Acid reflux, where stomach acid leaks into the gullet and causes pain in the chest, can also trigger back pain, though researchers are still unclear why.
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