When it comes to snoring, no other U.S. city tops Jacksonville.
That’s according to a recent study by Withings, which makes products that measure health, such as activity-tracking watches, scales and health monitors.
Using data from health tracking devices, Withings found the users tracked in Jacksonville snore over five times a night with snore durations reaching one hour, 12 minutes.
By comparison, the national average for snoring was 2.65 times a night.
Withings also found the Jacksonville people tracked in the study stayed up later than most of the nation, putting the city in the top five for night owls.
Top Late-Night Cities: Cities with the Latest Average Bedtimes
1.) Philadelphia – 12:40 a.m.
2.) New York City – 12:36 a.m.
3.) Los Angeles – 12:30 a.m.
4.) Miami – 12:28 a.m.
5.) Jacksonville – 12:24 a.m.
Withings’ data showed a significant correlation between a person’s body mass index (BMI) and snoring in both men and women. The higher the BMI, the more likely a person is to be a heavy snorer.
Withings found men were two times more likely to be heavy snorers than women.
Snoring and nighttime breathing disturbances can impact the quality of sleep and can be a sign of sleep apnea, according to Withings.
The health technology company said snoring has also been associated with other chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, obesity and depression.
Withings found the national average among those tracked for heading to bed was 12:08 a.m. The average get-out-of-bed time was 7:41 a.m.
On average, the study group woke up twice a night, spending about 28 minutes awake before falling back to sleep the first time and 35 minutes the second time. The average for REM sleep was 3 hours, 17 minutes.
The study was based on anonymous data from a pool of 2.4 million American users, 1.4 million of whom tracked their weight; 130,000 of whom tracked their steps; 39,000 of whom tracked their sleep and 5,000 of whom tracked their snoring.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
