If you have a snoring problem, you might be wondering if it can be passed on to your children. Unfortunately, the answer is yes. According to research published in the journal “Chest” children with at least one parent who snored are 3 times more likely to snore themselves (compared to children whose parents did not snore).

Snoring can be a warning signal for an affliction known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA causes breathing to stop while sleeping, due to obstructed air passages.

While snoring is a signal of breathing difficulties, at least it’s still breathing! OSA can cause a person to stop breathing for 10 seconds or more, which usually leads to them waking up gasping and choking.

This isn’t only a problem in the night either. OSA often leaves its victims with sore throats and headaches when they wake up in the morning. Lack of sleep due to OSA can lead to lack of concentration, bad behavior and general irritability.

If left untreated, OSA can lead to increased blood pressure, lower oxygen levels in the blood and an increased chance of heart attack and stroke.

In the study done by “Chest”, 681 children from Cincinnati Childrens Hospital medical center were studied. The research also found that African-American children were about three times more likely to snore than other races.

And it was also found that kids who tested positively for Atopy (a sign of asthma and allergies) were twice as likely to develop a snoring problem.

This study helped doctors to identify children who were at higher risk of snoring problems and other sleep disorders. This gave them the opportunity to work with the childrens’ parents to help minimize any long-term effects.