Snoring is not harmless. Child research proves it.   

Conventional medical wisdom holds that "primary" snoring is harmless to the health of the snorer. Primary snoring is defined as noisy breathing at night, not associated with an underlying sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea. I call this type of snoring "Socially Incorrect" because of the distress it causes those around the snorer.

The more I research this topic, however, the more I believe that there is no such thing as harmless snoring. Any sort of snoring is a sign that your breathing is disrupted and that your body is working harder that it should to get the oxygen it needs.

This view is reinforced by considering some recent research into snoring in children, conducted at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, USA. Questionnaires were mailed to seventh and eighth graders whose class ranking was either in the top 25% or bottom 25% of their class. 1588 questionnaires could be analyzed, with almost equal representation in the top and bottom groups.

Frequent and loud snoring during early childhood was reported in 12.9% of the Low Performance children compared with 5.1% High Performance children. Furthermore, three times as many of the lower ranking children had undergone tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for snoring. These findings are statistically significant.

In other words, children with lower academic performance in middle school are more likely to have snored during early childhood, leading the researchers to hypothesize that a "learning debt" may develop with Sleep Disorder Breathing during early childhood and hamper subsequent school performance.

So, if snoring can demonstrably affect academic performance -- and note that these children did not suffer from sleep apnea -- what are the effects in adults? It does not seem a stretch to suggest that disrupted breathing or snoring in adulthood can similarly dull the mind and impact concentration and alertness. If so, all snorers, not just those in the Not So Silent Killer category, should take steps to breathe more freely at night.

Note that PutanEndtoSnoring is not written by a medical professional. I'd welcome comments and supplementary research from any physician or sleep specialist reading this.

The research cited here was published by David Gozal and Dennis W. Pope Jr, Snoring During Early Childhood and Academic Performance at Ages Thirteen to Fourteen Years, Pediatrics 2001 107: 1394-1399.

Is this information useful to you? Send us questions or feedback.  And remember, information provided by PutanEndtoSnoring does not substitute for the advice of your physician. 

  Feature article: Comparing the anti-snoring throat sprays
 

As a user of throat sprays -- my wife says they reduce but by no means eliminate my snoring -- I've been gradually trying different brands.  I cannot say which work the best, but I have been intrigued at the variations in price for what appear to be very similar products.

Most of the sprays listed on PutanEndtoSnoring's Sprays and More Sprays page work the same way: they consist of natural oils that lubricate the back of your throat (soft palate), including the uvula (tissue dangling at the back of your throat).  The lubrication dampens or even eliminates the sound of the vibrations.  Manufacturers say that their products will keep your throat lubricated for up to eight hours.  

Take a look at this comparison of the ingredients of three sprays.  All are water and glycerin based, and all contain vitamins.

All pretty similar, you'd think.  Yet you can buy Snorenz from the manufacturer for $9.95 for a two-ounce bottle.  Snoreless can be found as low as $21.55 from one of the dozens of Nutrition for Life distributors on the net [2003 Update -- NFL has gone bankrupt, Snoreless appears to be dead].  And dSnore is, at best, $49.95 per 2-oz bottle.  Does the extra cost reflect a better product, or simply a higher cost of marketing this product through TV infomercials?  I don't know and would love to publish your comments!

Send me your snoring/sleep story, we'll use it in this slot.

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This section features some interesting posting to our forum.  Given the newness of this web site, there's not much there yet, but the query from Jim Kelly is worthy of response -- help us turn this into an interesting discussion!

Do I really need a dentist's prescription to get a mouthpiece?

Add your comments!

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