Loud Snoring Predicts Metabolic Syndrome

Add “metabolic syndrome” to the growing list of health risks and symptoms caused by or linked to snoring. In a study just released in the December issue of the journal SLEEP, it was found that adults were two times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome if they snored loudly during sleep.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of combined risk factors that indicate a person may have an increased chance of developing coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. The syndrome is becoming common in the United States and is related to obesity. Two of the most common risk factors associated with the syndrome are extra weight around the middle of the body (central obesity), and insulin resistance, in which the body cannot use insulin effectively.

Led by researcher, Wendy Troxel of the University of Philadelphia, the study followed 812 adults (ages 47-74; 36% African American; 67% female) in an "ongoing, community-based prospective." This was the first prospective study to link metabolic syndrome with snoring, as well as with the sleep disorders difficulty falling asleep (DFA), unrefreshing sleep and insomnia. Those studied were free of metabolic syndrome at the start, had completed a baseline sleep questionnaire, and participated in a metabolic syndrome evaluation three years after the baseline. A subset of 290 participants were measured for their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) using a portable monitor.

The study examined the risk of developing factors of metabolic syndrome according to participant’s individual snoring and sleep symptoms and insomnia. Sleep complaints have been highly prevalent with cardiovascular disease (CVD), and interestingly, 14 percent of the participants developed metabolic syndrome while they were participating in the study.

The results of the study indicated that those who snored loudly were twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome, and also predicted specific metabolic abnormalities such as hyperglycemia and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Even when adjusted for AHI or the number of metabolic abnormalities at baseline, loud snoring remained a significant predictor of metabolic syndrome, whereas difficulty falling asleep, unrefreshing sleep and insomnia had less significance. It is believed that evaluating sleep symptoms will help physicians identify patients at risk for developing metabolic syndrome.

To read more about the research results, visit SLEEP.