Loud snoring weakens the skull and may be deadly – Study

A new study has found being a loud snorer weaken one’s skull.

The study published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery suggests that people with sleep apnoea have skulls that are up to 1.23mm thinner than others. that may

Skull erosion of up to 1mm, according to medical experts, is enough to cause life-threatening spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak (sCSF-L), which occurs when the liquid that cushions and protects the brain and spinal cord flows away through a thin area.

This can lead to dementialike symptoms, as well as coma, stroke and death.

Sleep apnoea is one of the major causes of snoring. It happens when the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, which interrupts breathing.

“Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may mechanistically contribute to the development of disorders related to skull thinning, such as sCSF-L,” said study author Dr Rick Nelson, from the University of Indiana. “Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak is associated with obesity, females ex and middle age,” he also said.

The researcher however said future studies are needed to identify the mechanism of how obstructive sleep apnoea may lead to skull thinning and how this may increase the risk of sCSF-L.

“Patients with skull thinning on CT imaging may be at increased risk of OSA and those patients should be considered for OSA screening,” said Dr Nelson.

The researchers scanned the skulls of 114 people aged between 40 and 60, out of which 56 had moderate-tosevere sleep apnoea.