North Carolina Ranked In Top 15 Worst States for Snoring

Roughly 90 million people in the U.S. snore while sleeping each night (roughly 27% of the population). According to report by Mattress Next Day,  North Carolina ranks in the top 15 states of heavy snoring in the country. In fact, it placed 11th on the list.

There are many reasons why people snore. Johns Hopkins Medicine says, "Snoring is the sound of obstructed breathing, which can be caused by some basic factors, such as poor muscle tone, bulky throat tissue, or a long soft palate or uvula."

Sleep apnea, sleep deprivation, and heavy congestion can also be lead causes of snoring. Often those who are snoring do not realize they are doing so. Their partner or other people in the room certainly do, however. While snoring can certainly cause a disruptive night's sleep for those who do it, the noise also creates sleepless nights for the roommates.

Johns Hopkins Medicine also suggests that snoring should be discussed with your doctor if you are one of the millions of Americans who do so. Some remedies can help depending on your situation. Certain devices, medications, and healthier lifestyle adjustments can help for a sounder and quieter sleep.

As for North Carolina specifically, Mattress Next Day's statistics show - 15.1% of adults snore. That equates to approximately 1,635,641 people.

Mattress Next Day took their research a step further, stating they analyzed Google Keyword Data on how to stop snoring and the overall term of "snoring." In doing this, they explain how they were "able to reveal the states seeking home remedies, and those with the highest ‘embarrassment levels’ regarding snoring." It appears North Carolina snorers were comfortable because the state did not rank in the top 15 of those researching or Googling snoring.

To determine that North Carolina ranks in the top 15 states of heavy snoring, Mattress Next Day studied Statista and Google Search data. From there, they then "conducted an analysis to determine the number of people."

Everyone knows of the obvious places where you have to worry about experiencing an earthquake. But sometimes, there are less obvious spots, too. So, what is our currently, calculated risk of an earthquake in North Carolina and South Carolina?

A new study looks at the locations with the highest potential of earthquakes. A lot of them are in major cities. A few include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Memphis. That's according to government research done by FEMA.

In case you were wondering, earthquakes are costly. That's not to shame the states that have the most earthquakes, of course. Hurricanes are costly, too. So, whether you live in California, where earthquakes are likely, or in other areas across America where hurricanes happen, chances are, your area is taking up funding to cover these disasters. As it turns out, southern California coastal counties and the Bay Area are the most costly when it comes to earthquake damage. "Los Angeles County with $2.68 billion in annualized losses is more than three times greater than the second highest county (Santa Clara, California)," the FEMA report states. "The counties containing the Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake, and Memphis metropolitan areas also have relatively high AELs."

North Carolina ranks No. 22 and No. 28, respectively, out of the states for the report's "Ranking of States by Annualized Earthquake Loss and Annualized Earthquake Loss Ratios (AELR)." South Carolina ranks No. 8 and 12, respectively.

Find the interactive map via CNN below and see where your area lands. You might be surprised by some of the areas that actually have a fairly high risk for activity. The map was "derived in part from a US Geological Survey study that created earthquake models to help inform municipalities and insurance companies about such hazards," according to CNN.

While you might think of a handful of cities who are in danger of earthquakes, and those are on the West Coast, there is earthquake activity all around. "Although most economic loss is concentrated along the West Coast, the distribution of relative earthquake risk, as measured by the AELR, is much broader and reinforces the fact that earthquakes are a national problem," FEMA says. "Relatively high earthquake loss ratios are throughout the western and central United States (states within the NMSZ) and in the Charleston, South Carolina, area."

You've heard of the Big Four, right? In metal music. Anyway, the Big 55 are the cities that experience the most earthquake activity. "Fifty-five metropolitan areas, led by the Los Angeles (including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim) and San Francisco (including San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley) Bay areas, account for 85% of the total AEL," FEMA says.

The FEMA report states, "Within the central and eastern United States, the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) and the Charleston, South Carolina, area pose substantial earthquake threat." As for safer areas, "The NMSZ covers parts of eight states: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. Together, they amount to approximately 15% of the total national exposure."

This is an interactive map of the United States showing each area's risk for earthquakes. You might be surprised by some of the areas that actually have a pretty high risk for activity. Click the link below to go to the interactive map via CNN.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/23/us/us-earthquake-risk-map-dg/index.html