[BITList] There ishope beyond our favorite past time of snoring:-)))

[John Feltham]

Begin forwarded message:


Snoring good for the elderly
29 Oct 2008, 1047 hrs IST, PTI

LONDON: If you think that snoring is bad for your health, think again,
for a study has suggested that the nocturnal snorts, whistles and
wheezes can give you a long and healthy life, particularly if you are
elderly.

Researchers in Israel have carried out the study and found that people
aged over 65 years who suffer from a snoring -related condition, called
sleep apnoea, tend to live longer than those who do not snore.

According to the researchers, this is because short bursts of hypoxia --
interrupted breathing -- actually have a protective effect on the
elderly people by conditioning their cardiovascular system to cope with
lack of oxygen.

This means that when oxygen supplies are cut off, as in a heart attack
or stroke, the body is better able to cope, they said.

But the study has found that the effects of sleep apnoea do not have the
same effect in younger people -- in fact, middle-aged men in particular
are at a higher risk of heart disease, the Daily Mail paper reported.

The researchers at Technion Institute have based their findings on an
analysis of more than 600 elderly people over a period of four years --
they found fewer heart-related deaths than in a control group of
'healthy' volunteers.

The findings of the study have been presented at a meeting of the
European Association for Sleep Research in Glasgow.


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