The Real Dangers of Snoring: 7 Reasons It’s More Than Just Noise

“Sure, it’s annoying, but it’s just one of those things!”We’d love to believe that too, but that’s not always the case.

Often, we normalize snoring and overlook the real dangers it can pose to our health. In reality, snoring can be your body’s attempt at waving a red flag, begging you to stop and pay attention.

Take a deep breath — we’re not here to scare you, but we are here to give you the facts (and the tools) you need to take control of your sleep health.

Let’s talk about the real dangers of snoring and why it’s important to put it to bed for good.

Sometimes, snoring is a sign that you’re dealing with a more complex issue like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) — a sleep disorder that causes you to stop breathing while you’re asleep.

OSA is a lot more common than you may think, with a 2023 prospective study showing that approximately 10-15 percent of females and 15-30 percent of males in North America struggle with the disorder.

Three primary forms of sleep apnea are linked to snoring. These include:

• Obstructive sleep apnea: OSA affects a staggering 936 million people globally and occurs because your throat muscles are more relaxed than they should be. These muscles prop up crucial structures like your soft palate and tongue. When they become a little too relaxed, they cause your airway to narrow or close as you’re trying to inhale. This disrupts airflow and leads to snoring.

• Central sleep apnea: While not as common as OSA, central sleep apnea is just as troublesome. It happens as a result of your brain struggling to send signals to the muscles that control your breathing. This means your central nervous system is the culprit, not a blocked airway

• Complex sleep apnea syndrome: Also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, CSAS arises if you have symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apnea. It’s often discovered during the treatment of OSA, particularly when using  Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)  therapy, a common treatment for sleep apnea.

Aside from snoring, here are the symptoms of sleep apnea you or your bed partner need to look out for:

• Choking

• Gasping

• Snorting

• Severe daytime fatigue

• Falling asleep during the day

• Waking up frequently throughout the night

Worryingly, sleep apnea isn’t always just responsible for your nightly “snorchestra,” it can increase the risk of serious health conditions like strokes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

There’s no sugarcoating this one: snoring, when caused by untreated sleep apnea, puts your heart at serious risk.

Now don’t panic — snoring every now and then doesn’t necessarily mean your heart health is in danger.

However, if your snoring has an underlying cause, like sleep apnea, chances are you aren’t breathing properly while you’re snoozing. This can result in fragmented sleep and lower blood oxygen levels, both of which put you at risk of cardiovascular disease.

In short, sleep apnea-induced snoring can cause heart disease. This is no joke — it’s dangerous. So dangerous that in 2021, the American Heart Association published a statement discussing the strong relationship between OSA and numerous heart conditions.

A 2023 review on sleep apnea and heart failure in The American Journal Of Cardiology fleshed this out further, emphasizing sleep apnea’s links to heart failure.

Sleep apnea is also linked to the following conditions:

• Pulmonary hypertension:  A type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the heart.

• Arrhythmias:  Abnormal heart rate or rhythm.

• Hypertension: High blood pressure.

• Coronary artery disease:  A narrowing of the heart's major blood vessels, limiting blood flow.

Not only can sleep apnea increase the risk of the above heart conditions, but it can also reduce a person’s response to treatment.

Ever woken up feeling like you got hit by a truck, even after a full night’s “sleep”? That’s because snoring can mess with the quality of your rest.

Your brain needs deep, uninterrupted sleep to recharge. Unfortunately, snoring disrupts your body and brain’s ability to reach this state of deep sleep over and over again.

The result?

• You feel exhausted, scattered, and sluggish

• Your focus and memory go out the window

• You’re at a higher risk of car accidents or workplace mistakes

It’s not just annoying — it’s dangerous. Drivers who struggle with snoring caused by sleep apnea are 29% more likely to end up in a critical road accident.

You know how you feel when you’re running on zero sleep? Tense. Overwhelmed. Over it.

Now imagine that feeling every day because your snoring disrupts your sleep cycle. Over time, poor sleep quality can leave you struggling with:

• Irritability (snapping at everyone, anyone — even your poor pup)

• Anxiety and stress

• Depression

Your brain needs quality sleep to regulate your physical and psychological well-being. Without it, everything feels harder. Small things feel big, and big things feel impossible. 

Snoring doesn’t just impact you.

If you’re sharing a bed, your partner’s sleep is probably getting wrecked, too. Over time, this can cause:

• Frustration and resentment (who wouldn’t feel grumpy after sleepless nights?)

• A serious hit to intimacy and connection

• “Sleep divorces,” where partners sleep in separate rooms just to get some peace

No one wants to be the person who snores so loudly that their partner dreams about earplugs or them sleeping on the couch. 

Let’s talk hormones for a second.

When we lose sleep — whether from a demanding schedule, snoring, or something else — our bodies experience real changes at a biological level.

A  lab study  found that extended periods of sleep deprivation have been shown to affect key hormones that control how hungry you feel and how full you get.

The three key players here are:

•  Leptin. Leptin’s job is to tell your brain, “Hey, I’m full! Put down the fork.” When you’re sleep-deprived, leptin levels drop, which means you don’t feel as satisfied after eating.

•  Ghrelin. This hormone makes you feel hungry. Poor sleep increases ghrelin levels and your appetite, particularly for high-fat, high-carb foods.

•  Adiponectin.  A hormone linked to fat metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Lack of sleep causes adiponectin to rise.

What’s especially concerning? If you have obesity, the effects of sleep deprivation on ghrelin are even stronger.

Your body is essentially primed to want more food,and when combined with chronic sleep loss from something like snoring, it can become a slippery slope.

If you’ve woken up with a splitting headache for no clear reason, snoring might be to blame.

When your airflow gets blocked during sleep, your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen, which can trigger headaches and brain fog.

Over time, chronic low oxygen can even impact cognitive function. That means memory problems, trouble focusing, and a general feeling of being “off.” 

Snoring might feel like no big deal, but it’s often your body’s way of telling you that something’s wrong. From heart disease to exhaustion to relationship strain, the dangers of snoring are very real.

The good news? Snoring is treatable! Whether it’s adjusting your sleep position, exploring CPAP therapy, or making some lifestyle changes, there are snoring solutions out there that can help you breathe better, sleep better, and feel so much better.

If you’re snoring regularly or noticing any of the signs we’ve discussed, don’t ignore it. Check out our online store for solutions that can help, or better yet, reach out to a healthcare professional.

Your body (and your partner) will thank you.

The content in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a licensed healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment options. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalized medical advice or concerns about snoring, sleep disorders, or related health issues.