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Do Astronauts Snore? How Zero Gravity Affects
Snoring
By John Lenaghan
Many people snore every night and don’t give a second thought to the
whys or hows. Many scientists believe that snoring is possible
partly thanks to gravity, and if this were true a lowered state of
gravity would mean it is impossible to snore. Do astronauts snore?
This question has been discussed since mankind has pushed into the
final frontier. Luckily we have had many opportunities to test out
this theory.
Upon the completion of two studies on space sleep and snoring, both
showed that five astronauts completely stopped snoring while in
space. In addition to that, several astronauts who suffered from
sleep apnea (a condition in which a person stops breathing
momentarily in their sleep) were cured of all symptoms while in
space. Many scientists thought that they had the answer to their
question and without a certain amount of gravity snoring is highly
unlikely.
In 1998 another sleep study was done aboard the shuttle Columbia.
Scientists wanted to see how an artificial environment would affect
how the astronauts slept and their breathing. The result? The
astronauts snored and in addition actually breathed less, prompting
many to think that breathing is more difficult in space. However,
there are many factors that can contribute to a person snoring, such
as high weight, large neck size, and alcohol consumption. Typically
these traits are not typical of the physically fit astronaut. It is
also possible that motion sickness plays a part in snoring which has
nothing to do with gravity.
Unfortunately there is no conclusive research that can determine
whether or not all astronauts snore and under what conditions. Many
scientists are in disagreement over the research collected but
almost all can agree there isn’t enough to make any definite
conclusions. There are many correlations between snoring and
gravity, but there are so many extenuating circumstances this
question may be unanswered for many years to come.
John Lenaghan writes about
snoring treatments and other snoring-related topics for the
Snoring Solutions website. Get more helpful advice at
http://www.snoringsolutions.org
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