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Heavy Snoring Increases Risk of Low Sexual Satisfaction: Presented at ATS

By Jill Stein

SAN DIEGO, C.A. -- May 23, 2006 -- Older men who are heavy snorers report dissatisfaction with their sex lives, according to data presented here at the American Thoracic Society International Conference (ATS).

Victor Hanak, MD, fellow, division of pulmonary/critical care medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues analyzed questionnaires completed by 827 men in a study that aimed to assess the association between snoring and sexual dysfunction.

The men were enrolled in the Olmsted County Study of Urinary Symptoms and Health Status among Men, which is an ongoing cohort study of urologic conditions in community-dwelling white men.

To be eligible for the analysis, subjects had to report having a regular sexual partner.

The questionnaire used in the analysis was the Brief Sexual Function Inventory, which is a previously validated questionnaire that measures various aspects of male sexual function including sexual drive, erectile function, ejaculatory function, and sexual satisfaction.

Subjects also completed a sleep questionnaire.

The median age of the study population was 64 years, with participants divided into categories of heavy, moderate, or no snoring.

The investigators found a significant difference in sexual satisfaction across snoring categories (P =.01). The age-adjusted odds ratio of low sexual satisfaction for comparison of the heavy snoring group with the nonsnoring group was 2.8. There was no significant difference, however, in the other sexual domains across snoring categories.

The age-adjusted odds ratio for comparison of the heavy snoring group with the minimal snoring group was evaluated over the following domains: ejaculatory function, erectile function, and sexual drive. Results were 2.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0, 4.7), 1.3 (95% CI 0.7, 2.5), and 1.2 (95% CI 0.7, 2.3), respectively.

The results remained significant after adjusting for mental health (Short-Form-36 scores) and comorbidities, including diabetes and hypertension.

Dr. Hanak said that the results document a significant association between heavy snoring and low sexual satisfaction, even though snoring was not associated with impaired sexual drive or erectile function, and was only marginally associated with ejaculatory function.

He cautioned that a potential limitation is that a sleep questionnaire was used instead of polysomnography.

Further research is needed to explore the hypothesis that heavy snoring is affecting the spouse and that this, in turn, affects the mutual sexual relationship, Dr. Hanak added.


[Presentation title: Snoring and Risk of Sexual Dysfunction in Community Men. Abstract C28]

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