by John Lenaghan

Snoring affects a wide range of people – studies have shown as many as 40% of American adults suffer from it. The following statistics show how much of a problem snoring can be.

- As many as 30% of people age 30 and up snore. By the time they reach middle age, the number increases to 40%.

- Men are roughly twice as likely to snore as women, but this ratio decreases after women reach menopause.

- Children are not immune either – 5.6% of children snore regularly.

- 66% of married adults say they have a partner who snores.

- When asked whether they snore or not, 59% of those same married people said they do.

- Between 20 and 40 percent of adults who snore may actually be suffering from sleep apnea.

- Roughly 9% of men and 4% of women from the ages of 30 to 60 have sleep apnea.

- Children deal with sleep apnea as well – studies show up to 10% of children suffer from it.

- People who suffer from sleep apnea are up to 4 times more likely to have a stroke and 3 times more likely to have a heart attack

- People who are affected by sleep apnea are up to 6 times more likely to have a serious car accident compared to those who are not, due to the fact that they are drowsy from a lack of quality sleep.

- Drowsy driving leads to at least 100,000 car crashes and 1,550 deaths each year, according to the National Highway Safety Administration.

- Partnersof snorers and people with sleep apnea lose roughly 1 hour of sleep every night, waking up to 21 time an hour.

You can see from these statistics that snoring is a more serious problem than many people think. No matter how healthy you may be, you should get your snoring checked by a health care professional. Remember that it can affect other people as much or more than it affects you.

John Lenaghan writes about surgery for snoring and other snoring related topics on the Snoring Solutions website. For more information visit http://www.snoringsolutions.org