To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Key To Snoring And Sleep Disordered Breathing May Lie In Neck Muscle Bulk URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/EF30A.htm Doctor's Guide March 23, 1999
LONDON, ENGLAND – March 23, 1999 -- The reason why men tend to snore more and suffer more sleep disordered breathing (apnea) than women, may lie in their neck muscles, finds research in the current issue of the journal Thorax. Being overweight and having a thick neck are known risk factors for snoring and apnea. Yet women tend to be fatter than men, so should be more prone to these disorders. But the reverse is true: men are up to eight times more likely to have these disorders. The researchers assessed the soft tissue distribution, including fat, in the necks of 10 men and 10 women of average weight. Even though the amount of fatty tissue in the neck was disproportionately high in men compared with the rest of their body, the overall amount of fat was more or less the same in both sexes. However, the soft palate and the tongue contained more fatty tissue than the same areas in women and the total amount of soft tissue in the neck was a third greater in men, most of which was accounted for by muscle bulk. The authors suggest that during sleep muscle tone relaxes, which, combined with the greater tissue bulk, will cause the airway to collapse, provoking snoring and apnea. Related Links: Thorax --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.