Does your child snore? According to a new study, it seems that the factors that increase the likelihood of one's developing allergies are similar to those that lead to snoring.

In an asthma prevention study of a group of 5-year-olds, Dr Nathaniel Marshall and his team at the Woolcock Institute for Medical Research in Sydney found the risk factors involved were similar to those for allergic disorders.

That included exposure to cigarette smoke in the first year of life, asthma and eczema. In adults, snoring is strongly tied to obesity but, in children, the swelling of the lining of their smaller airways may be a stronger risk factor, Marshall and his team reported in Paediatric Pulmonology.

Also, asthmatic kids were 2.51 times more likely to be snorers, while those with eczema had a 2.29-fold increased likelihood of snoring.

Come to think of it, my son does snore, albeit only occasionally. I've never really monitored it that closely, but it could be that those were during days when he would have allergic rhinitis and hence, disrupted breathing.