In March 2009, A health reporter for National Public Radio, Allison Aubrey, did a piece on snoring without once mentioning that it can be (and usually is) a sign of a serious sleep disorder (obstructive sleep apnea), nor did she educate her listeners that only an overnight sleep study can distinguish benign snoring from sleep apnea. Many members of my staff heard this, as well as fellow sleep physicians, and we were all appalled that a health reporter would discuss snoring as just an annoyance to family members.
Not only does research show that 50% of snorers have sleep apnea, but the latest studies presented at the annual meeting of American Academy of Sleep Medicine in June 2009 (www.aasmnet.com) indicate that “benign snoring” increases your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. What does “benign snoring” mean? It means that during the sleep study we did not find significant apnea. We define sleep apnea as 5 apneas per hour or more. Perhaps the new research is demonstrating that even 3 apneas per hour can have long term consequences. But my point is really that it is irresponsible or just ignorant to report on snoring as an annoyance or family joke without one sentence about sleep apnea and the importance of a sleep study and having an evaluation by a sleep specialist.
In all fairness to NPR, on the website report on this topic, they do talk about sleep apnea. But if you only heard the piece on the air, then you would have been misinformed about the health risks associated with snoring.
What really added insult to injury here is that I and and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (for which I am an official spokesperson) tried to contact Alison Aubrey and tried to find her producer, but everyone was so unhelpful and uninterested in what we had to say. Now, we are the experts: Why did they not want their listeners to hear what the experts had to add this discussion? It baffles me. They had a doctor in their piece who was identified as an ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) doctor, not a sleep specialist, so why would they think they had an authoritative source of information about sleep medicine?
Here is a good analogy: NPR does a story about smoking. Smoking is very annoying to non-smokers. When you are out in public, you are embarrassed by the stench of your smoke. A new solution has been found to help you smokers contain your smelly smoke which disturbs everyone around you . . . You see where I am going. Would anyone report on smoking without talking about lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease? The field of sleep medicine has worked for 20 years to have people understand that sleep apnea poses a serious threat to public health and to see these efforts undermined by such irresponsible reportage is very frustrating.
Message of the day is: Snoring is no laughing matter!
