Snoring might be driving your spouse batty--but that's nothing compared to what it could be doing to you.

A new study finds that loud snoring can dramatically increase your risk of metabolic syndrome--the collection of risk factors that often leads to diabetes, heart disease and an early trip to the grave.

Researchers checked the sleep habits of 812 patients between 45 and 74 years old who were enrolled in an ongoing heart study, and found that those who snored loudest had double the risk of metabolic syndrome.

And when they excluded patients with sleep apnea--and I'll have more on them in a moment--they found that snorers had triple the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Snoring was the riskiest bedtime habit, but it's not the only bad news for poor sleepers.

The researchers also found that patients who had difficulty falling asleep had an 80 percent increased risk of metabolic syndrome, and those who had unrefreshing sleep had a 70 percent higher risk of the condition.

And believe me, that's one condition you want nothing to do with.

Once referred to as "Syndrome X," metabolic syndrome is like a smorgasbord of risk factors. There are five conditions involved, but you only need three of them to have it: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and excess abdominal fat.

Of those five risk factors, the loud snorers were most likely to suffer from high blood sugar and low HDL cholesterol, according to the study in Sleep.

And if there's anything worse than snoring, it's a sudden stop to it. It's a sign of sleep apnea, a frightening condition that leaves people gasping for air in the night... usually in between those loud snores.

Many patients stop breathing for 10 or more seconds at a time--and most don't even know it. For many, the only warning sign is that they're not as well-rested as they used to be.

The risks of sleep apnea are pretty well known, and they run right up to death. And now, a new study finds--unsurprisingly--that apnea sufferers also run a higher risk of serious heart problems.

Up to 20 million Americans suffer from apnea, which isn't too surprising since the condition is so closely linked to obesity.

And as more people put on more weight, you can expect those numbers--and the risks--to rise.

If you want to lower your own risk, skip all the gadgets and gimmicks that claim they can improve your breathing during sleep and head right for the real answer: lose the weight.

In most cases, the apnea and even snoring will vanish along with your extra pounds.

If that doesn't do the trick, speak to your doctor--because as these new studies show, you should never let sleep apnea or even loud snoring go unchecked.

And that's true even if you're not sharing your bed.

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