If parents snore, chances are child will also

According to researchers in the U.S. if either parent is a snorer, a child is three times more likely to be a noisy sleeper.

Researchers at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio suggest that snoring runs in the family.

They also say children with allergies are more likely to be snorers.

The researchers monitored 681 infants with an average age of 12 months.

The study group was 80 percent white, 17 percent African-American, and 3 percent biracial or Asian.

The researchers found that 15 percent of the children were habitual snorers, defined as snoring at least 3 times per week.

The findings also suggest that African American children were much more likely to be snorers.

Snoring is one of the most common sleep-related complaints and is a significant cause of sleep disruption and stress.

Studies have linked snoring with behavioural problems, mental impairment and heart and metabolic disease.

Maninder Kalra, the lead researcher, says the study underlines the link between regular snoring and genetic make-up.

Kalra believes the extent of the problem in very young children and the negative impact of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing indicates high-risk groups need to be targeted for early identification and treatment.

Kalra says snoring is the primary symptom of sleep-disordered breathing, which in children is associated with learning disabilities and metabolic and cardiovascular disorders and early detection and treatment can potentially reduce the effects.

Interestingly the investigators found no association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and habitual snoring.

The findings are published in the journal Chest, published by the American College of Chest Physicians.