Men who snore loudly may have a shorter life expectancy than those who sleep quietly.
In fact, say scientists, middle-aged men who have severe sleep apnoea, a common disorder characterised by snores, gasps and snorts, are twice as likely to die during any given time period.
It is unclear whether the interruptions to sleep are causing ill-health or if they are a symptom of underlying problems.
But, with millions suffering from sleep apnoea, scientists behind a large-scale study say it is important to see whether treating the condition boosts health. In Britain alone, three million have the condition.
The U.S. researchers, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, tracked the health of 6,000 men and women aged 40-plus for eight years.
Medicals were carried out at the start of the study and sleep patterns were assessed for evidence of sleep apnoea - in which over-relaxation of the muscles in the throat can cause breathing to stop dozens of times during the night.
The restarting of breathing interrupts deep sleep and can cause the victim to wake with a jolt. They often snore loudly and are tired during the day.
Around a third of those studied were found to have some degree of sleep apnoea, with 8 per cent of men and 3 per cent of women having a severe form in which breathing stopped more than 30 times an hour.
During the course of the eight years, 1,047 participants died. Men aged 40 to 70 with severe sleep apnoea were twice as likely to have died as those without the condition, even when other factors such as weight and smoking habits were taken into account. -
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