Snoring and insomnia are often seen as nuisances, either to the person who just cannot fall asleep or to the partner who has to listen to all that racket. They may be real cause for concern, however.
New research finds that both snoring and insomnia can predict one’s likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome. Snoring and insomnia may even cause metabolic syndrome. As described in this story’s source, the LA Times’s “Booster Shots” column, “Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of risk factors — excess abdominal fat, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, low HDL cholesterol and high blood pressure — that increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.”
University of Pittsburgh researchers publishing in the journal Sleep found that those with insomnia are 80% more likely to develop metabolic syndrome. People who snore loudly were twice as likely to develop the condition.