Facts about Snoring & Sleep Apnea

Snoring is incredibly common.  At least 40% of men and 20% of women snore nightly. While mild snoring is not a serious issue, louder snoring can be a sign of a much more serious disease, sleep apnea. Even when there isn't sleep apnea, snoring can interfere with a person's ability to get a good night's sleep, resulting in chronic fatigue. This is known as Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS). It can also interfere with a bed partner's ability to get a good sleep, resulting in separate rooms and marital stress.

Snoring means the airway is partially blocked. The more blocked the airway gets, the louder the snoring becomes and the more likely that breathing is affected. In Sleep Apnea, a person regularly stops breathing (an Apnea), or has episodes where a little bit of air squeaks by but it is not enough (Hypopnea).  Both of these have the same negative effect on a persons sleep and health.  This can make a person feel like they never get a good night's sleep, are tired during the day, may always be in a bad mood, and fall asleep easily.

In the short term, this affects quality of life and increased chances of car accidents and workplace accidents. It can cause depression, trouble with memory, trouble concentrating, lack of sex drive and impotence.

Over the long term this increases the chances of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks, and stroke. Some people seem to be immune to the daytime symptoms and never feel sleepy. Their long term risks however, are still the same. Any person with nightly heroic snoring should be investigated for sleep apnea. 

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What increases risk for snoring and sleep apnea?
Being overweight is the most common cause of snoring and sleep apnea, although not all people are overweight. Fat can be stored in the throat and base of tongue, making this tissue narrow, soft, and floppy. Certain medications and alcohol can also cause the airway to relax at night making snoring worse. Smoking causes swelling of the lining of the nose and throat, worsening snoring. Conditions such as the common cold, allergies, chronic sinusitis, and reflux will make snoring and sleep apnea worse. Most people are born with an airway shape that makes it more likely to snore while others just seem to have relaxed throat muscles at night.

We all know what snoring sounds like. Two important questions to understand when treating snoring is where is the sound coming from and why is it occurring.