Can Snoring Help You Lose Weight?

December 22, 2008

A recent study published in the Journal Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery showed that snorers burn more calories while sleeping than nonsnorers. For obvious reasons, the press and the internet is buzzing with this new finding. For those of you who think that you can lose more weight by continuing to snore, the study authors did note, however, that this does not mean that you can continue snoring away without any sort of treatment.

Most people who snore will have some degree of sleep apnea, and this is a serious medical condition. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, depression, diabetes, heart disease, heart attack or stroke.

If you snore (or have simultaneous apneas) your body is in a stress state, more commonly known as the fight-or-flight response. This increases your metabolism, as well as keeping you from staying in the lowest metabolic state, which is the deeper stages of sleep. We know from numerous studies that inefficient sleep, due to whatever reasons, will promote weight gain.

There are even studies that suggest that the vibrational trauma can cause carotid artery plaque formation.

Do you snore, and if so, are you overweight?

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog
Tagged: ,calories, fatigue, snoring, weight gain