In short
- Obstructive sleep apnea is a confirmed cardiovascular risk factor, but a 2019 German snoring guideline says the risk from snoring alone is difficult to determine.
- In a 2024 study that tracked 12,287 people for about six months, those who spent more of the night snoring had about 1.9 times the odds of uncontrolled high blood pressure, even after accounting for estimated sleep apnea.
- A 2021 meta-analysis of 11 studies linked self-reported snoring to 32% higher odds of high blood pressure, and to 42% higher odds when people snored four or more nights a week.
- In the Busselton Health Study, measured snoring was not linked to death, heart disease or stroke over 17 years of follow-up in 380 adults.
- The AASM's 2015 guideline found insufficient evidence that treating snoring without sleep apnea improves health outcomes beyond the snoring itself.
- The NHS says to see a doctor if you snore and feel sleepy in the day, stop and start breathing in your sleep, or gasp or choke at night.
Snoring on its own may be linked to higher blood pressure and some changes in the arteries, but the evidence is mixed and doesn't prove that snoring causes heart disease. Sleep apnea is a different story: it is an established risk factor for heart and blood vessel problems. The useful question for most snorers is whether there is sleep apnea behind the noise.
Does snoring affect your heart?
Research: limited (what this means)Snoring may affect your heart, but researchers can't yet say how much, or whether snoring itself is the cause. A 2019 German medical guideline on snoring in adults puts it plainly: obstructive sleep apnea is a confirmed cardiovascular risk factor, while the situation for isolated snoring is difficult to determine.
The guideline notes that a handful of prospective studies suggest possible negative effects on the heart and blood vessels. It adds that the clinical relevance of those findings is virtually impossible to estimate at present, and that they offer no guidance on whether snoring needs treatment for heart reasons.
Part of the difficulty is that snoring and sleep apnea overlap. Loud snoring is one of the main signs of sleep apnea, so a study that doesn't measure breathing during sleep can easily mix the two up. The better studies measure snoring with a device and adjust for sleep apnea, and those are the ones this article leans on. For the bigger picture on whether snoring harms your health in other ways, see is snoring bad for you?.
Does snoring cause high blood pressure?
Snoring is consistently linked to high blood pressure, but no study has shown that snoring causes it. The strongest recent evidence comes from a 2024 study in npj Digital Medicine that found people who snored more had about 1.9 times the odds of uncontrolled high blood pressure, even after accounting for estimated sleep apnea.
That study followed 12,287 people for about six months using a sensor placed under the mattress, which estimated how much of each night they spent snoring and how many breathing events they had. Blood pressure was measured with a cuff on several days and averaged. Comparing people who snored for 12% of their sleep with those who snored for 0.04%, the odds of uncontrolled high blood pressure were 1.87 times higher. The analysis adjusted for age, body mass index, sex and estimated sleep apnea.
The authors note that most earlier research relied on people reporting their own snoring, which is less reliable. Their study also has limits. Participants were mostly men (88%) with an average age of 50, and they came from a large consumer sample rather than a random sample of the population. The paper also discloses that one author consults for a sleep-tracker company that supplied devices for a validation trial.
A 2021 meta-analysis in Sleep Medicine pooled 11 studies, eight of which followed people forward in time. Compared with non-snorers, snorers had 32% higher odds of high blood pressure. The link held in both men and women, and it was stronger (42% higher odds) in people who snored four or more nights a week. These studies used self-reported snoring, so some participants probably had undiagnosed sleep apnea.
Both pieces of research point the same way, which is worth taking seriously. Neither can rule out that something else, such as weight or an unmeasured breathing problem, explains part of the link.
Is snoring linked to heart attack or stroke?
Heavy snoring has been linked to narrowing in the neck arteries that supply the brain, but a long-term study found no link between snoring and heart disease or stroke. The evidence here is small and points in different directions, so neither result settles the question.
On the worrying side, a 2008 study in Sleep examined 110 volunteers who had no more than mild sleep apnea. Carotid atherosclerosis, a build-up in the neck arteries, was found in 20% of mild snorers, 32% of moderate snorers and 64% of heavy snorers, defined as snoring for more than half the night. After adjusting for age, sex, smoking and high blood pressure, heavy snoring was still strongly linked to carotid build-up. It wasn't linked to build-up in the leg arteries, which fits the idea of a local effect in the neck.
The same research group later tested that idea in rabbits. In a 2011 study, six hours of vibration around the carotid artery, matched to the energy of snoring, impaired the artery lining. It suggests a plausible way that snoring vibrations could harm nearby arteries, but it was an animal experiment, not proof in people.
On the reassuring side, the Busselton Health Study in Western Australia measured snoring with a home device in 1990 and then tracked 380 adults for 17 years. There were 46 deaths, 68 heart and blood vessel events and 24 strokes. Snoring wasn't significantly linked to any of them, either before or after adjusting for sleep apnea and other risk factors. The sample was small and snoring was measured on a single night, so the study could have missed a modest effect.
How is sleep apnea different from snoring for your heart?
Sleep apnea is different because the link to heart and blood vessel disease is much stronger and better established. The American Heart Association's 2021 scientific statement says sleep apnea is found in 40% to 80% of people with high blood pressure, heart failure, coronary artery disease, pulmonary hypertension, atrial fibrillation and stroke.
The best-known long-term evidence comes from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000. Among 709 adults, the more breathing events people had during sleep at the start, the higher their odds of high blood pressure four years later. People with 15 or more events an hour had nearly three times the odds of those with none, after adjusting for weight, age, sex, alcohol and smoking. We cover this in more detail in sleep apnea and high blood pressure.
Sleep apnea is also common. The AHA statement says about 34% of middle-aged men and 17% of middle-aged women meet the criteria for it, and that it is often missed in heart care. Our roundup of snoring and sleep apnea statistics has more numbers.
| Snoring without sleep apnea | Obstructive sleep apnea | |
|---|---|---|
| Link to high blood pressure | Consistent but observational (1.9x odds in one 2024 study) | Dose-response link over four years in the Wisconsin cohort |
| Link to heart disease and stroke | Mixed: artery changes in one study, no link over 17 years in another | Recognized risk factor, per the AHA |
| Do guidelines recommend treating it for heart health? | No; evidence is insufficient | AHA says all patients should be considered for treatment |
| Usual next step | Lifestyle changes, or treat for comfort if you want to | Diagnosis with a sleep test and treatment |
How dangerous is snoring?
For most people, snoring is not dangerous. The NHS describes it as very common and not usually caused by anything serious. The main exception is when snoring is a sign of sleep apnea, which the NHS says can be serious if it isn't treated, and that's what to rule out.
Snoring can still affect daily life. The German guideline describes it as a common cause of distress for snorers and their bed partners. If your snoring is keeping someone awake, that's a fair reason to work on it even when your health isn't at risk. Our guide to snoring vs. sleep apnea explains how to tell the two apart.
Does treating snoring protect your heart?
There is no good evidence yet that treating snoring alone protects your heart or lowers blood pressure. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's 2015 guideline on oral appliances found insufficient evidence to conclude that treating primary snoring improves other health-related outcomes, even though the devices reduce snoring itself.
The 2024 blood pressure study raises the question but can't answer it, because it only observed people. Testing it properly would take a trial that reduces snoring in people without sleep apnea and then tracks their blood pressure. We couldn't find one that has done this.
That doesn't make treatment pointless. Quieter nights help bed partners, and many simple steps are low-risk. Sleeping on your side, cutting back on alcohol and losing weight if you're overweight are all on the NHS list. Nasal strips can help when a blocked nose is part of the problem, and some adults whose mouths fall open at night use mouth tape to keep their lips together. Just don't expect either to protect your heart, and don't use them to quiet snoring that might be sleep apnea. Our guide on how to stop snoring covers the options. We don't recommend mouth tape for children.
Check this first. Skip mouth tape and see a doctor if you snore loudly, wake up gasping, have been told you stop breathing in your sleep, or can't breathe comfortably through your nose. More on safety
When should a snorer get checked?
A snorer should get checked when the snoring comes with signs of sleep apnea or sits alongside heart and blood pressure problems. The NHS advises seeing a GP if you feel sleepy during the day, your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, or you make gasping or choking noises at night.
The NHS also suggests seeing a doctor if lifestyle changes haven't helped or your snoring has a big impact on your life or your partner's. It can help to bring a partner to the appointment to describe what the snoring sounds like.
Heart and blood pressure history matters too. The AHA recommends screening for sleep apnea in people with resistant or poorly controlled high blood pressure, pulmonary hypertension and atrial fibrillation that keeps coming back after treatment. The German guideline recommends a sleep study for snorers who have relevant heart or blood vessel conditions, and for anyone who wants treatment for snoring.
Our guides to sleep apnea warning signs and the home sleep apnea test explain what's involved, and questions to ask your doctor about snoring can help you prepare. This article is general information, not medical advice.
Read next
- Sleep apnea and high blood pressure: what's the link?
- Snoring vs. sleep apnea
- Is snoring bad for you?
Common questions
Does snoring affect your heart?
It might, but the evidence for snoring on its own is mixed. Sleep apnea, which often comes with loud snoring, is a confirmed risk factor for heart and blood vessel disease. For snoring without sleep apnea, some studies find links to high blood pressure and artery changes, while a 17-year Australian study found no link to heart disease or stroke.
Does snoring cause high blood pressure?
Snoring is linked to high blood pressure, but cause hasn't been proven. A 2024 study of 12,287 people found more snoring went with about 1.9 times the odds of uncontrolled high blood pressure, independent of estimated sleep apnea. These are observational studies, so other factors could explain part of the link.
How dangerous is snoring?
For most people, snoring is not dangerous. The NHS says it is very common and not usually caused by anything serious. The main concern is when snoring is a sign of sleep apnea, which the NHS says can be serious if it isn't treated. Gasping, choking, breathing pauses and daytime sleepiness are the signs to act on.
Is snoring without sleep apnea bad for your heart?
Nobody knows for sure. One study of 110 volunteers with no more than mild sleep apnea found heavy snorers had far more narrowing in their neck arteries. But a 2019 German guideline says the clinical relevance of these findings is virtually impossible to estimate at present and gives no guidance on whether to treat.
Will treating my snoring lower my blood pressure?
There is no good evidence yet that treating snoring alone lowers blood pressure. The AASM's 2015 guideline found insufficient evidence that treating primary snoring improves health outcomes beyond the snoring. Treating sleep apnea is different, and the American Heart Association recommends screening for it in people with hard-to-control blood pressure.
When should a snorer get their heart or sleep checked?
See a doctor if you snore and also feel sleepy during the day, stop and start breathing in your sleep, or gasp or choke at night, as the NHS advises. A sleep study is also worth discussing if you have high blood pressure that is hard to control, or another heart or blood vessel condition.
Sources
- Regular snoring is associated with uncontrolled hypertension
- Association between self-reported snoring and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Snoring is not associated with all-cause mortality, incident cardiovascular disease, or stroke in the Busselton Health Study
- Heavy snoring as a cause of carotid artery atherosclerosis
- Tissue vibration induces carotid artery endothelial dysfunction: a mechanism linking snoring and carotid atherosclerosis?
- Prospective study of the association between sleep-disordered breathing and hypertension
- Obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association
- The diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults
- Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring with oral appliance therapy: an update for 2015
- Snoring
About this article
- Research
- 10 published sources, listed above.
- Evidence
- Limited. How we rate it
- Last checked
- October 14, 2026
- Funding
- Paid partner of Titan Recovery. Their ads are labeled.
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- Tell us. We log fixes on the corrections page.
* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.