Do you snore loudly?

Patients with sleep symptoms are at higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome, a prospective study found.

Difficulty falling asleep, snoring loudly, and unrefreshing sleep were significant predictors of metabolic syndrome. Snoring doubled the risk, while difficulty falling asleep increased the risk by 80%, Wendy Troxel, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues reported in Sleep.

Loud snoring also was associated with doubled risks of other metabolic abnormalities, and remained a significant metabolic syndrome predictor after further apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) adjustment, whereas other sleep symptoms were only marginally significant, the researchers noted. Apnea means cessation of breathing, while hypopnea means shallow or reduced breathing.

The study evaluated 2,000 patients enrolled in an ongoing, community-based prospective heart health study. Patients were ages 45 to 74, and had no associated illnesses that could limit their life span to less than five years ie relatively healthy at the onset of the study.

Metabolic syndrome is a gateway for diabetes type two, thus snoring and other poor sleep symptoms could also predict development of diabetes, hence the importance of this study. So if you snore loudly etc, get yorself checked out thoroughly by a competent medical professional, and start acquiring healthy lifestyle habits - this may be a wake up call - no pun intended - and not just for your fed up loved ones!


To your abundant health,

Dr Ike
Functional Health Expert and Health Coach.

Reference:

Troxel WM "Sleep symptoms predict the development of the metabolic syndrome" SLEEP 2010; 33: 1633-1640.