BackgroundA few studies have shown that snoring, in certain populations, is associated with dyslipidemia. However, there are currently no large-scale national studies available that explore this association. Thus, for further clarification, studies using a large sample of the general population need to be conducted. This study aimed to explore this association using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted using data from the NHANES database; 2005 to 2008 and 2015 to 2018 datasets were used (weighted to be representative of United States adults aged ≥ 20 years). Information on snoring status, lipid levels, and confounding factors were included. Logistic regression of the generalized linear model was used to analyze the relationship between snoring and dyslipidemia, and hierarchical analysis, interaction analysis, and sensitivity analysis were used to explore the stability of the results.ResultsData from 28,687 participants were analyzed, and 67% of the participants had some degree of snoring. The fully adjusted multivariate logistic regression results demonstrated that snoring frequency was significantly positively associated with dyslipidemia (P< 0.001 for linear trend). Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of dyslipidemia among those who snored rarely, occasionally, and frequently were 1.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.18), 1.23 (95% CI, 1.10–1.38), and 1.43 (95% CI, 1.29–1.58), respectively, compared with that among those who never snored. In addition, age and snoring frequency showed a correlation (P= 0.02). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that frequent snoring was significantly associated with lipid levels (all P ≤ 0.01 for linear trend), including increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (β = 0.09 mmol/L; 95% CI, 0.02–0.16), triglyceride (TG) (β = 0.18 mmol/L; 95% CI, 0.10–0.26), total cholesterol (TC) (β = 0.11 mmol/L; 95% CI, 0.05–0.16), and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (β=-0.04 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.06–-0.03).ConclusionsA statistically significant positive association was identified between sleep snoring and dyslipidemia. It was suggested that sleep snoring interventions may reduce the risk of dyslipidemia.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12944-023-01839-7.