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The Link Between Sleep Apnoea, Burning Calories and Gaining Weight
If any of you had a difficult night sleeping because of your partner’s snoring, here’s a bit of news that may put a different perspective on your nocturnal struggle...
Burning calories
US researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found that people with a serious snoring problem use around 2,000 calories a day while at rest, compared to an average of 1,626 calories for those who snore lightly.
The study looked at 212 patients, whom all snored or had related sleeping conditions like sleep apnoea, and findings revealed that the more severe a patient's snoring, the more calories they burned while resting. The researchers concluded that the burning of energy while asleep and resting might be affected by increased reactions in the nervous system caused by snoring and snoring-related conditions.
Eric J Kezirian who led the study said: 'Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of sleep-disordered breathing and changes in body weight are associated with changes in sleep-disordered breathing severity... It is unclear whether weight gain is simply a cause of sleep-disordered breathing or whether sleep-disordered breathing may be associated with alterations in energy metabolism that, in turn, lead to weight gain and complicate the treatment of these two disorders that often coexist.'
Sleep apnoea, in which the airways are partially or completely obstructed during sleep, stops the person getting a good night's rest, making them very sleepy during the day. It has also been linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.
Commenting on the study, a UK specialist said that the payback (for burning all those calories) comes in the daytime with sleep apnoea sufferers craving food and being too sluggish to exercise. While heavy snoring is a nuisance for partners, it can be a sign of a far more serious problem for the snorer.
Weight Struggle
A sleep expert from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, Professor John Stradling, said that the study findings were "entirely plausible", and fitted the experience of his patients, who found it hard to lose weight after their sleep apnoea symptoms had been relieved.
He said: "I used to joke that sleep apnoea was free exercise at night - it's nice to have that confirmed."
There were three reasons why sufferers might burn more calories at night, he said.
• they spent less time in deep sleep, where the body temperature naturally drops,
• they might expend more energy just struggling to breathe,
• each time their sleep was interrupted by breathing problems their body would fire a dose of adrenaline, burning up yet more calories.
However, he warned that the powerful effects of sleep apnoea meant it was not a way to lose weight. "If you have sleep apnoea, you are very sleepy during the day, and demotivated to do any exercise - we also know that sleep deprivation increases appetite and decreases willpower."
Snoring facts
More than 3.5million people in the UK are thought to snore. It affects four out of ten men and up to three out of ten women, according to research.
Smokers are almost twice as likely as non-smokers to snore because their airways get inflamed and blocked, figures show. Other factors which can make snoring worse include drinking alcohol or taking sleeping tablets, being overweight and sleeping on your back.
Colds and allergies can lead to blockages in the throat, causing sufferers to breathe through their mouths which can cause to sporadic snoring.
Sources:
‘Heavy Snorers burn more energy’, published online 16/12/08, bbc.co.uk
‘The heavier you snore the more calories you burn – but it’s still an unhealthy habit’, by Claire Ellicot, published online 17/12/08, dailymail.co.uk
‘Stop the Stones’ published in 2007, The Doctors Book of Food Remedies, p.558
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