Snoring is common. Almost half of adults snore at least occasionally.

That may be but if that is the only exercise you get......rabble rabble this article is worthless.

Loud and frequent snoring can be more than just a nuisance to your partner. Snoring may indicate a serious health condition, and it can disrupt your household.

This sounds a little odd to me.

I work in sleep medicine. Most of my patients that snore also have some sleep disordered breathing like obstructive sleep apnea. Patients with even moderate OSA are at risk for metabolic conditions like glucose intolerance, which would make them retaine calories.

Also, almost 90% of my patients are overweight. If there was something to this, I'd be seeing way more people with BMIs under 30.

If anything, I'd venture to say that there's a moderate to strong positive correlation between weight gain and snore. We already know there's a strong positive correlation between obesity and apnea (r= something like .80 for those of you who are into that sort of thing).

/my two cents

Snoring, s'moring. Let's just all go to bed.

On What Do You Know? this week, they asked the quiz contestants to give an example of onomatopoeia and they couldn't.

I just used the word "otolaryngology" in a Scrabble game yesterday! The board caught fire!

All of you doctors that have seen this type of thing before. I'll be glad to take your advice.

Dear Jerk: On What Do You Know? this week, they asked the quiz contestants to give an example of onomatopoeia and they couldn't.

R Kelly amirite?

Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol close to bedtime or sleeping on your side, can help stop snoring.

I knew my wife was weight-loss obsessed, but I didn't know that that was why she snores.

Punching yourself in the face is a great way to burn calories, too.

Before looking it up, I believe there is a major typo/solecism in TFA which inspires subbie's headline.

I was wrong. I have mispronouncing that word for 30 years.

/slinks away

nephlim: If anything, I'd venture to say that there's a moderate to strong positive correlation between weight gain and snore. We already know there's a strong positive correlation between obesity and apnea (r= something like .80 for those of you who are into that sort of thing).

The hater in me feels the need to point out that having sleep apnea is not a continuous variable, but rather a dichotomous state; you can't really report a regression coefficient, just a p value. Yes, I suppose you could change it to apnea events per unit time.

There's no doubt that there's a strong correlation. That's not really the point of the statement, though. For example: heavier people have a higher base metabolic rate. Doesn't mean they're on the fast track to being skinny, though.

Snorers might burn more calories, but they're fatter in the first place.

ScottTenorman: Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol close to bedtime or sleeping on your side, can help stop snoring.

You call that a lifestyle?

I lol'd

Chunes: Snorers might burn more calories, but they're fatter in the first place.

hmmm. Sorta like winning at the Special Olympics then

Then why are they so fat?

nephlim : I work in sleep medicine. Most of my patients that snore also have some sleep disordered breathing like obstructive sleep apnea. Patients with even moderate OSA are at risk for metabolic conditions like glucose intolerance, which would make them retaine calories.

Also, almost 90% of my patients are overweight. If there was something to this, I'd be seeing way more people with BMIs under 30.


Snoring = the body moving more than usual.

The body moving more = more calories being burned.

/the real question is, how many calories? Is it enough calories to even make a noticeable difference? What if people that snore burn 10 more calories per day than people that don't snore? 10 calories is a drop in the bucket and won't have any noticeable effect on a persons weight.

IE, if someone went on a diet and burned 10 more calories per day than they consumed. It would take them nearly a year to lose a pound.

(3500 calories in a pound of fat / 10 => 350 days)

/people who fidget burn more calories than people who don't

yogaFLAME: nephlim: If anything, I'd venture to say that there's a moderate to strong positive correlation between weight gain and snore. We already know there's a strong positive correlation between obesity and apnea (r= something like .80 for those of you who are into that sort of thing).

yogaFLAME: The hater in me feels the need to point out that having sleep apnea is not a continuous variable, but rather a dichotomous state; you can't really report a regression coefficient, just a p value. Yes, I suppose you could change it to apnea events per unit time.

There's no doubt that there's a strong correlation. That's not really the point of the statement, though. For example: heavier people have a higher base metabolic rate. Doesn't mean they're on the fast track to being skinny, though.

That's how we measure apnea's severity, actually; in number of apnea/respiratory event's per hour. It's usually the same from night to night, with the only changes being due to body position and sleep stage. So yeah, it's an average that can be compared to BMI, age, comorbidities, etc.

Apnea is also thought of as a chronic condition. If you have it, it's not going away on it's own unless you lose weight, wear a positive airway device like CPAP, wear an oral device to keep the mandible forward, or undergo surgery like uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. So, I'm inclined to think that it's not really a dichotomous state, unless I misunderstood you.

Apnea/Hypopnea index (AHI) or respiratory disturbance index (RDI) can change within patients in stage REM sleep and when they sleep in the supine position. In both cases, the index would goes up, meaing they're having more respiratory events. Drugs, especially GABA agonists like benzodiazepines, can also affect their index for the worse. There are exceptions like patient's with Chenye-Stokes Respiration and complex apnea, in which case their index goes down in REM and can worse when they sleep on their side. However, CSR is more of a cardiac problem and complex apnea is more of a neurological problem.

I guess I'm trying to say that their level of apnea "could" be treated like a constant variable. I'm not really a stastitician. I'm just speaking from a clinical point of view, and from what I've read in the journals.

Anyway, it's just an approximation. I've had some skinny patients with severe apnea. But, eight to nine times out of ten, the patient that tests positive for apnea and snores, is also overweight.

/my four cents
//no hate'n intended or taken

fragMasterFlash: I no longer snore after getting my BMI down to the 'Normal' range. I used to get kick out of bed 2 - 3 times a month by the SO, hasn't happened once since I slimmed down.

That's for other reasons--such as a lack of disgust for not sleeping next to a fattie anymore.

Since I masterbate AND snore, I'm a freaking athlete.

...a four-man bobsled team, going down a long gravel driveway? Each one playing a didgiridoo?

this dude ain't skinny.

lordargent: nephlim : I work in sleep medicine. Most of my patients that snore also have some sleep disordered breathing like obstructive sleep apnea. Patients with even moderate OSA are at risk for metabolic conditions like glucose intolerance, which would make them retaine calories.

Also, almost 90% of my patients are overweight. If there was something to this, I'd be seeing way more people with BMIs under 30.


lordargent: Snoring = the body moving more than usual.

The body moving more = more calories being burned.

/the real question is, how many calories? Is it enough calories to even make a noticeable difference? What if people that snore burn 10 more calories per day than people that don't snore? 10 calories is a drop in the bucket and won't have any noticeable effect on a persons weight.

IE, if someone went on a diet and burned 10 more calories per day than they consumed. It would take them nearly a year to lose a pound.

(3500 calories in a pound of fat / 10 => 350 days)

/people who fidget burn more calories than people who don't

Snoring is movement in the same way flatulence is movement. Snoring is the product of a partially occluded airway or an airway met with resistance. This movement you speak of is probably an arousal from sleep due to an upper airway obstruction. Which, in the long run, subtracts from total sleep time, and can lead to metabolic conditions.

Did someone call me schnorrer?

nephlim: my four cents

You explain it all very well. In response to your initial concern, though, I think the key is the little phrase in the title, "at rest". The study found that people who snore burn more calories at rest than non-snorers. This may be very well true, but what this doesn't discuss (at least, the Telegraph article doesn't; I haven't read the study) is whether or not burning more calories at rest affects metabolism differently than burning calories during some activity. Maybe it's not even good to burn calories at rest (I have no clue whether it's good or not). Anyhow, you obviously know more about this, but that's just my two cents.

nephlim: yogaFLAME: nephlim: If anything, I'd venture to say that there's a moderate to strong positive correlation between weight gain and snore. We already know there's a strong positive correlation between obesity and apnea (r= something like .80 for those of you who are into that sort of thing).

yogaFLAME: The hater in me feels the need to point out that having sleep apnea is not a continuous variable, but rather a dichotomous state; you can't really report a regression coefficient, just a p value. Yes, I suppose you could change it to apnea events per unit time.

There's no doubt that there's a strong correlation. That's not really the point of the statement, though. For example: heavier people have a higher base metabolic rate. Doesn't mean they're on the fast track to being skinny, though.

That's how we measure apnea's severity, actually; in number of apnea/respiratory event's per hour. It's usually the same from night to night, with the only changes being due to body position and sleep stage. So yeah, it's an average that can be compared to BMI, age, comorbidities, etc.

Apnea is also thought of as a chronic condition. If you have it, it's not going away on it's own unless you lose weight, wear a positive airway device like CPAP, wear an oral device to keep the mandible forward, or undergo surgery like uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. So, I'm inclined to think that it's not really a dichotomous state, unless I misunderstood you.

Apnea/Hypopnea index (AHI) or respiratory disturbance index (RDI) can change within patients in stage REM sleep and when they sleep in the supine position. In both cases, the index would goes up, meaing they're having more respiratory events. Drugs, especially GABA agonists like benzodiazepines, can also affect their index for the worse. There are exceptions like patient's with Chenye-Stokes Respiration and complex apnea, in which case their index goes down in REM and can worse when they sleep on their side. However, CSR is more of a cardiac problem and complex apnea is more of a neurological problem.

I guess I'm trying to say that their level of apnea "could" be treated like a constant variable. I'm not really a stastitician. I'm just speaking from a clinical point of view, and from what I've read in the journals.

Anyway, it's just an approximation. I've had some skinny patients with severe apnea. But, eight to nine times out of ten, the patient that tests positive for apnea and snores, is also overweight.

/my four cents
//no hate'n intended or taken

I'm pretty skinny with alot of snoring. Tried everything from trying those shaped pillows to nasal rinses... My dad has apnea (has a cpap and all that jazz). He used to be pretty overweight, but has slimmed a lot recently. I'm curious, is there a genetic tendency toward apnea? My bro snores too...

TheDirtyNacho: nephlim: yogaFLAME: nephlim: If anything, I'd venture to say that there's a moderate to strong positive correlation between weight gain and snore. We already know there's a strong positive correlation between obesity and apnea (r= something like .80 for those of you who are into that sort of thing).

yogaFLAME: The hater in me feels the need to point out that having sleep apnea is not a continuous variable, but rather a dichotomous state; you can't really report a regression coefficient, just a p value. Yes, I suppose you could change it to apnea events per unit time.

There's no doubt that there's a strong correlation. That's not really the point of the statement, though. For example: heavier people have a higher base metabolic rate. Doesn't mean they're on the fast track to being skinny, though.

That's how we measure apnea's severity, actually; in number of apnea/respiratory event's per hour. It's usually the same from night to night, with the only changes being due to body position and sleep stage. So yeah, it's an average that can be compared to BMI, age, comorbidities, etc.

Apnea is also thought of as a chronic condition. If you have it, it's not going away on it's own unless you lose weight, wear a positive airway device like CPAP, wear an oral device to keep the mandible forward, or undergo surgery like uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. So, I'm inclined to think that it's not really a dichotomous state, unless I misunderstood you.

Apnea/Hypopnea index (AHI) or respiratory disturbance index (RDI) can change within patients in stage REM sleep and when they sleep in the supine position. In both cases, the index would goes up, meaing they're having more respiratory events. Drugs, especially GABA agonists like benzodiazepines, can also affect their index for the worse. There are exceptions like patient's with Chenye-Stokes Respiration and complex apnea, in which case their index goes down in REM and can worse when they sleep on their side. However, CSR is more of a cardiac problem and complex apnea is more of a neurological problem.

I guess I'm trying to say that their level of apnea "could" be treated like a constant variable. I'm not really a stastitician. I'm just speaking from a clinical point of view, and from what I've read in the journals.

Anyway, it's just an approximation. I've had some skinny patients with severe apnea. But, eight to nine times out of ten, the patient that tests positive for apnea and snores, is also overweight.

/my four cents
//no hate'n intended or taken

I'm pretty skinny with alot of snoring. Tried everything from trying those shaped pillows to nasal rinses... My dad has apnea (has a cpap and all that jazz). He used to be pretty overweight, but has slimmed a lot recently. I'm curious, is there a genetic tendency toward apnea? My bro snores too...

There can be. Most of the time, apnea patients are a wee heavy. For the rest of them, it can be due to anatomical factors like enlarged tonsils,
adenoids, and uvula. Some people with over-bites or other anomalies of the mandible and maxilla can have sleep apnea as well. All of those can have a genetic link. I'd imagine that nasal and sinus polyps could contribute to snore, but I can't think of anything solid in literature to back that up.

There's some literature out there that hints that people of Asian heritage are at risk for it due to differences in their jaw structure, when compared with the jaw structure of caucasians.

A deviated nasal septum can lead to a snore. Facial injury like a broken nose could cause that. Sometimes they just form that way naturally though.

In any event, if your medical crime syndicate insurance company will cover it, you might want to see an ear nose and throat specialist. Sometimes a snore can be fixed with a simple surgery. They may also send you in for a sleep study as well.

Good luck and be well!

I'd rather my boyfriend snore than randomly yell at the top of his lungs.

I_AM_M: Since I masterbate AND snore, I'm a freaking athlete.

That made me laugh. Nicely played.

This study is BS I snored like a fiend while I was in the Army. I was in the best physical shape of my life and I was told by the frauleins that I dated(and everybody in the sixty person bay that I slept in during basic training), that it sounded like a grizzly bear kicked down the door. BMI had absolutely nothing to do with OSA.

I have now been on CPAP for six years. I have also had two operations: The first was a UPPP, where they cut out the uvuala and tonsils and laser trim the turbinates in the nose. Mandibular and maxilofascial advancement was the second one. I don't have the time to describe this one. Let's just say that they tear your face off and move it foward to open the airway.

I am tired as hell during the day and 60 pounds overweight because my metabolism is low. I lift weights or do cardio every day so it is not the couch that adds the weight.

I have sleep apnea and I'm skinny as hell, possibly because I also have severe PLMD and I flail around all night long.

CPAP was okay, but I had to stop it because it started to wake me up.

PseUdononymous Savagery: This study is BS I snored like a fiend while I was in the Army. I was in the best physical shape of my life and I was told by the frauleins that I dated(and everybody in the sixty person bay that I slept in during basic training), that it sounded like a grizzly bear kicked down the door. BMI had absolutely nothing to do with OSA.

I have now been on CPAP for six years. I have also had two operations: The first was a UPPP, where they cut out the uvuala and tonsils and laser trim the turbinates in the nose. Mandibular and maxilofascial advancement was the second one. I don't have the time to describe this one. Let's just say that they tear your face off and move it foward to open the airway.

I am tired as hell during the day and 60 pounds overweight because my metabolism is low. I lift weights or do cardio every day so it is not the couch that adds the weight.

so nothing helps? I have mild apnea (did a sleep study) but my doctor just wants me to lose weight.

Came here for the whargarbl pictures. Guess I had to do it myself.

/All is right in the farkaverse
//Move along

BS, my stepdad has sleep apnea and snored really loudly. He's also almost 300 lbs.

Also a guy who works in a sleep clinic said earlier he didn't believe it.