Snoring students get worse grades

CHICAGO, April 26 (UPI) -- German researchers say students who snore by night are more likely to find themselves groaning in the daylight while getting their grades.

In a new study of 201 medical students, investigators found snorers had lower scores and about twice the failure rate of silent sleepers.

Dr. Joachim H. Ficker says earlier research has shown snoring in middle-aged men is associated with more car accidents and poor work performance.

But, he says, this is the first study to show that snoring has an effect on the daytime function of people in their 20s.

Ficker presented his research Sunday at the international meeting of the American Lung Association and the American Thoracic Society.

In the study, Ficker asked his medical students at the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg, ``Have you ever been told that you snore?''

The 40 percent who said they were snorers averaged about 64 on their exams, compared with 70 for non-snorers.

About 26 percent of the snoring students failed, compared with about 13 percent for the quiet sleepers.

Ficker found no difference between men and women, in either reported snoring or exam results.

Ficker says scientists don't know why snoring is linked to higher failure rates. He says snoring itself may disturb sleep, or the noisy breathing problem may be the result of other grade-dropping habits -- like drinking or drug abuse.

But, Ficker was quick to point out one notable exception to his finding -- the ``very best exam results were obtained by a heavy snorer.''

(Written by Mara Bovsun in New York City)