Are you a snorer? Scientists warn you’re at higher risk of devastating condition
WE all know someone who snores every night – keeping us up in the process.
But experts have now warned that if you’re a snorer, you could be at risk of a devastating condition.
Researchers led by a team in Beijing, China, found that people who suffer from poor sleep may be more prone to getting a common eye condition later in life.
This includes snoring, insomnia as well as sleeping for too little or too much of the night.
Writing in the BMJ Open, scientists said these conditions have been linked to a higher risk of glaucoma.
It’s a common eye condition where the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becomes damaged.
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If it’s not treated, if can lead to loss of vision, the NHS states.
Those who are at high risk of developing the illness, the medics say, such as those in their 70s and 80s, should be offered ‘sleep interventions’.
Experts looked at data from 400,000 people who are taking part in the UK Biobank study.
They focused on those aged 40 to 69 who were monitored between 2006 and 2010.
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These participants were then revisited in March 2021 to see whether or not they had developed glaucoma.
Information on their sleep was also collected and over 11 years, 8,690 cases of glaucoma were identified.
Medics found that compared with those who had a healthy sleep pattern, snoring and daytime sleepiness carried an 11 per cent increased risk of glaucoma.
Meanwhile insomnia and short or long sleep duration was linked to a 13 per cent increased risk.
The authors wrote: “Snoring, daytime sleepiness, insomnia, and short/long duration, individually or jointly, were all associated with the risk of glaucoma.
“These findings underscore the need for sleep intervention for individuals at high risk of glaucoma as well as potential ophthalmologic screening among individuals with chronic sleep problems for glaucoma prevention.”
The BMJ paper comes after research showed that those who struggle to sleep may have an increased risk of high blood pressure.
If you have the condition then you’re more at risk of deadly strokes, heart failure and artery disease.
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Experts at LloydsPharmacy found that almost half of Brits struggle to sleep at least three nights a week, with one in ten struggling to sleep every night.
Around 5.5million people are experiencing undiagnosed hypertension and the data from LloydsPharmacy comes after a separate study found that not getting enough sleep each night can increase your risk of multiple killer diseases.