SNORING STATISTICS

Prevalence of snoring

• 30% of those over age 30 snore, rising to 40% in middle-age. (Source: British Medical Journal, 1997)

• Male:Female ratio = 2:1 with the gap closing after menopause (Souce: Vancouver sleep and Breathing Center)

• 5.6% of children are habitual snorers. (Source: Pediatrics Nov, 2001)

• 19% (Source unknown, cited by researchers conducting a study of 24 snoring women).

• Snoring women are significantly shorter and heavier than non-snoring women, with a greater incidence of nasal problems. (Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1998:227-231)

• Hypertension and heart disease are risks associated with snoring in women. (CardiacConsult Review 1999: 2:2)

Almost 85 percent of snorers exceed 38 decibels of sound, which is equivalent to the noise of light highway traffic. Men snore louder than women. (Research by HealthEast and the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic, cited here)

But snoring apparently doesn't cause hearing loss. A study of 219 sleep disorder patients in Canada found that the loudness of their snoring was not related to their hearing acuity. (Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1999: 159)

The partner of an apnea patient loses about an hour of sleep due to partner's snoring -- inferred from fact that CPAP use increases partner's sleep an hour per night. (Mayo clinic study, cited here)

SLEEP APNEA

• May be present in 20-40% of the adult population that experience snoring. (National Sleep Foundation)

• Affects 9% of men and 4% of women between the ages of 30 and 60 (Source unclear, cited in BBC News story)

• Present in 0.7% to 10.3% of children (Pediatrics, Vol. 109 No. 4 April 2002, pp. e69)

Risks of sleep apnea:

• An individual with untreated apnea (OSA) is up to 4 times more likely to have a stroke and 3 times more likely to have heart disease. (National Sleep Foundation)

• Patients with untreated apnea run a 3% risk of stroke and heart attack. Treatment with CPAP was found to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke by 20% (The Lancet 2002; 359: 204-210)

• About one half of patients who have essential hypertension have obstructive sleep apnea, and about one half of patients who have obstructive sleep apnea have essential hypertension. (Am Fam Physician 2002;65:229-36)

• People suffering from sleep apnea are six times more likely to be involved in a car crash (as a result of drowsiness) than those without sleep disorders. (New England Journal of Medicine, March 18, 1999)

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that each year drowsy driving "is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 40,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities." (National Sleep Foundation, cited here)