It's a research that might upset dog lovers across the world -- kids who grow up with a canine at home are more likely to be heavy snorers as adults.
Researchers in Sweden have carried out the study and found that growing up with a pet dog could increase a child's chances of being a snorer later in life by almost a quarter, the British media reported.
According to them, snoring is not just a potential annoyance -- it has been linked to early death, heart disease and stroke.
'Dogs may increase airborne particles that would encourage inflammation and thereby alter upper airway anatomy early in life, causing an increased susceptibility for adult snoring,' said lead researcher Karl Franklin of University Hospital Ume.
However, India-based doctor SK Dasgupta has rubbished the claims of the study published in the latest edition of the BMC Respiratory Research journal.
'The man's best friend cannot be blamed for snoring. It is vibration of respiratory structures, and the resulting sound is because of obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping.
'The irregular airflow is caused by a blockage and usually either due to throat weakness, or mis-positioned jaw or often caused by tension in the muscles or fat gathering around the throat or obstruction in nasal passageway,' he told PTI.
But researchers have claimed that their study was based on an analysis of 16,000 people in Europe. All of them answered questionnaires about their early life, family, sleep, smoking habits, height and weight.
One in five were found to be habitual snorers, defined as loud and disturbing snoring at least three nights a week. The researchers found that the habitual snorers were those who grew up with a pet dog at home.
The study found habitual snorers were more often men, more obese, older, had a higher prevalence of asthma and chronic bronchitis and had smoked more than non-snorers.
'Obesity is a major cause of snoring and sleep apnoea. It is, however, important to increase knowledge about other preventable causes of habitual snoring, since a large number of snorers suffer from daytime sleepiness and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and even early death.
'The study showed that early life environment may be of importance for snoring later in life. Further knowledge of this subject could contribute to primary prevention of adult snoring,' the researchers said in their report.
