Are subjective assessments of snoring sounds reliable?

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate whether snoring sounds can be reliably, i.e. reproducibly and comparably, assessed by the listener. This is an absolute prerequisite if an objective method is to provide a valid representation of subjective assessments of snoring sounds. Fifty-three subjects, both men and women, from different age categories assessed snoring sequences in terms of their annoyance level. This was done using a paired comparison model with ten sequences, once at original volume and once at adjusted peak level. In addition, assessments of 50 sequences were made using a visual analog scale (VAS). In the first paired comparison the assessments displayed very high consistency (K = 0.94) and high concordance (W = 0.83). The results showed very good agreement between the sexes (r s = 0.98), between different levels of snoring-related experience (r s = 0.99) and between different ages (r s = 0.98). At adjusted peak level there was also very high consistency (K = 0.91) although concordance was clearly lower (W = 0.50). The rankings in the two paired comparisons showed a high degree of correlation (r s = 0.81). The assessments on the VAS revealed good inter-rater reliability (α = 0.73) and a high degree of correlation with the result of the first paired comparison (r s = 0.93). Snoring sounds can be assessed in a reproducible and comparable manner in terms of their annoyance level. There are no gender-specific differences, and age-specific and experience-specific differences also appear to be negligible. While volume plays a dominant role, other characteristics of the sounds are also sufficient to permit an assessment.

The Relationship between Simple Snoring and Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…As snoring sounds are commonly described as a nuisance by the bed partner of the affected individual, information on snoring was collected from a bed partner or family member. Snoring intensity was evaluated using a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 to 10: 0 represents no snoring, 1–3 represents minimally annoying, 4–6 represents moderately annoying, 7–9 represents annoying, and 10 represents extremely annoying [18]. We defined 0 as no snoring, 1–3 as mild snoring, 4–6 as moderate snoring, and 7–9 as severe snoring.…”

Definition of the Snoring Episode Index Based on the Analyses of Snoring Parameters and the Apnea Hypopnea Index

“…The results of that study showed high consistency and concordance, but when the peak level was adjusted to exclude the effect of different volumes of each snoring, the concordance was found to be low. [19] Efforts have also been made to objectively de ne the intensity of snoring. However, owing to the lack of an international consensus on sound intensity for the de nition of snoring, different criteria were applied depending on the investigators.…”

Efficacy of Pillar Implants to Reduce Snoring and Daytime Sleepiness

“…The primary outcome measures were assessing snoring frequency per week and snoring loudness using a ten-point visual analog scale (VAS), in which 0 represented no symptoms and 10 represented the most severe symptoms as determined by the patients’ bed partners [ 17 , 43 ]. The snoring frequency was measured by asking the patients’ sleep partners to report the number of days per week on which the patient had symptoms; partners were also asked to assess the average severity of snoring loudness using VAS over the study time.…”