Overweight, middle-aged men who smoke are the most likely to snore, a new study has found.
Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute compared the DNA of about 150,000 snorers to the genetic information of more than 250,000 non-snorers held in the UK Biobank.
The study looked at the effects a person's body mass index, smoking, and alcohol consumption had on the probability of someone being a snorer.
Study leader Dr Renteria said experts found snoring was more common among men than women, but smoking and alcohol consumption increased the risk for both sexes.
The probability of snoring is also found to increase with age and BMI.
Researchers found many of the genes associated with snoring have previously been linked to medical traits, including respiratory, cardio-metabolic, neurological and psychiatric.
"The study confirmed a genetic overlap between snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea, with almost 80 percent of the genes involved in snoring risk also affecting a person's risk for obstructive sleep apnoea," the Medical Research Institute published.
Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous sleep disorder where a person stops and starts breathing while asleep.
The sleep condition can last for years or a lifetime but is treatable by a medical professional.
The researchers plan to use their findings to examine in more detail the relationship between snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea.
The study findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
