Snoring and Cardiovascular Risk in Women: Understanding the Study

Snoring in women has been associated with cardiovascular disease in prospective research. A Nurses’ Health Study analysis published in 2000 is one example. The finding is clinically relevant, but its relative-risk figures should not be presented as a woman’s personal chance of developing heart disease.

Who took part?

Hu and colleagues followed 71,779 female nurses aged 40–65 who had no diagnosed cardiovascular disease or cancer at the 1986 baseline. Snoring frequency was reported by questionnaire. Over eight years, the researchers recorded 1,042 major cardiovascular events: 644 coronary heart disease events and 398 strokes.

What did the study find?

After adjustment for smoking, body mass index and other factors, the relative risk of cardiovascular disease was 1.20 for occasional snorers and 1.33 for regular snorers compared with non-snorers. The 95% confidence intervals were 1.01–1.43 and 1.06–1.67 respectively.

What does a relative risk of 1.33 mean?

It describes a 33% higher risk relative to the comparison group in that analysis. It does not mean that 33% of regular snorers developed cardiovascular disease. Likewise, 1.20 is a relative increase of 20%, not a 20% absolute probability.

As a purely hypothetical illustration, if one group had a risk of 3%, a relative risk of 1.33 would correspond to approximately 4% in the comparison group. Those illustrative numbers are not the study’s observed absolute risks; they simply show why relative and absolute risk must be distinguished.

What remains uncertain?

The study was observational. Self-reported snoring did not determine which participants had obstructive sleep apnea, and adjustment cannot exclude all other explanations. The results do not prove that snoring itself caused the events, or that eliminating its sound would prevent them.

The focus here is cardiovascular events. Our separate article on snoring and high blood pressure explains research with a different outcome.

Practical implications

Persistent snoring is worth mentioning in a clinical review, particularly alongside breathing pauses or troublesome sleepiness. Discuss individual cardiovascular risk factors and possible sleep-apnea assessment with your healthcare professional.

This study did not test Asonor. It does not support a claim that Asonor prevents heart disease or stroke. Treatment of snoring should not replace assessment or prescribed care for sleep apnea or cardiovascular conditions.

Source

Hu FB and colleagues. Snoring and risk of cardiovascular disease in women. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2000;35:308–313.

Editorial update: September 2026. This article explains a historical cohort study and the interpretation of relative risk; it is not a systematic review.