The effect of singing on snoring and daytime somnolence

Irumee Pai, Stephen Lo, Dennis Wolf, Azgher Kajieker

The objective of the study is to compare the prevalence and severity of snoring and daytime somnolence amongst semiprofessional choir singers and non-singers. It is a cross-sectional comparative study and the setting is at a tertiary otorhinolaryngology referral centre. Adult singers were recruited from two mixed-gender choirs in London. The control group consisted of healthy volunteers who do not sing. The weight and height of all participants were measured by a single investigator. A questionnaire was completed by each subject, and the snoring habit section completed by their spouses or partners. The snoring scale score (SSS) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were utilised to assess the severity of snoring and daytime somnolence, respectively. The mean age of the singers was 46.3 years (20:32, males to females) and the control group 43.3 years (23:32, males to females). There was no difference in body mass index (BMI; p = 0.180) and ESS score (p = 0.770) between singers and non-singers. Regression analysis showed no significant relationship between the number of years of singing and ESS score (p = 0.390) although there was a linear relationship between age and SSS for both singers (R (2) = 0.11; p = 0.02) and non-singers (R (2) = 0.20; p = 0.01). Based on the general linear model, singers have significantly lower SSSs compared to non-singers when adjusted for age (p = 0.0147), BMI (p = 0.0389) and both age and BMI (p = 0.0153). Singing practice may have a role in the treatment of snoring but does not appear to influence daytime somnolence.