William Atkins
Tuesday, 16 December 2008 22:48
Science -
Health
Page 1 of 3
U.S.-Turkey researchers found that people who have terrible snoring problems expend hundreds of more calories each night than people who have only minor snoring problems or no breathing problems at all. Is this an effective and safe way to lose weight?
People with sleep apnea (trouble sleeping because of partial obstruction of the airway, which causes snoring and breathing problems) burn up to 373 more calories than do people with only mild cases of sleep apnea.
The researchers measured the number of calories expended by 212 adult patients while resting. Seventy-one percent of the patients were male, and the mean age was 42.3 years, plus/minus 12.6 years.
These people, all with various signs or symptoms of sleep disordered breathing, were analyzed by the researchers with regards to their complete medical history, along with a medical examination, polysommography (PSG, to test for sleep apnea), and calorimetry (to test for calories expended).
They found that, on average, these people burned 1,763 calories per day while at rest.
They then found that the people with minor sleep apnea problems burned, on average, 1,626 calories.
However, when people with serious sleep apnea problems were measured with respect to number of calories burned, it was found that they averaged 1,999—an increase of 236 calories over all of the subjects and 373 calories over the slight-snoring subjects.
The researchers stated within the
BBC News article “
Heavy snorers 'burn more energy'" that,
“The extra calories consumed are the same as a vigorous 30-minute workout in the gym.”
Page two continues with the sleep and calorie topic.
