Snoring Can Be Harmful to Health and Relationships
Most men do not take snoring seriously. But maybe they should. Those nocturnal snorts, whistles, and wheezes can actually cause serious problems - for your health and your relationships if your snoring keeps others awake at night.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) estimates that nearly one in three Americans snores occasionally, and 37 million are habitual snorers.
"Primary snoring is a pretty common entity," says Dr. Bradley Rowens, at St. John Providence Park Hospital in Novi, Michigan. "Probably 40 percent of males between 30 and 60 years old, and probably 30 percent of women in that age group snore."
Sometimes, snoring is a sign of a more serious problem - obstructive sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, people actually stop breathing for several seconds.
This disorder can contribute to high blood pressure and even cause stroke, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
However, it can be hard for the average person to distinguish between heavy snoring and apnea, according to Susan Zafarlotfi, Ph.D., at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.
For that reason, anyone who habitually snores should see his or her physician or a sleep specialist to determine if the problem is sleep apnea, rather than ordinary snoring, she says.
Dr. Rowens says primary snoring is typically a regular, monotonous sound - "a sawing-wood type of noise, not punctuated with stopping breathing, squeaking, or gasps."
For most persons, snoring does not pose a great health risk, although the NSF says snoring can disrupt your sleep to the point where you may experience headaches, fatigue, and concentration problems during the day.
For your partner, however, his or her lack of sleep - called environmental insomnia - can cause these symptoms and more.
"Snoring definitely causes difficulties for the partner," says Dr. Zafarlotfi, who adds that most men come in to have their snoring evaluated after prompting from their partner.
Snoring occurs when the airway becomes partially blocked. The noise originates in the back of the mouth where the tongue, uvula, upper throat, and soft palate meet.
If these structures rub together, the resulting noise from the vibrations creates snoring.
Common causes of snoring are excess weight, which narrows the airway making it more likely that the parts will rub together; nasal congestion, either from allergies or a cold; alcohol or sedating medications that relax the airways; or anatomical defects, such as a deviated septum.
Treatments for snoring often depend on the cause. If enlarged adenoids or a deviated septum are causing your snoring, surgery may be necessary.
However, most physicians recommend lifestyle changes first. These include losing weight, exercising more, and eliminating alcohol and other sedating medications before bedtime.
"Weight is a big issue, because excess weight narrows the airway," says Dr. Zafarlotfi.
Quitting smoking is also helpful, according to Dr. Rowens.
For many persons, making sure they do not sleep on their back does the trick. To keep yourself from rolling onto your back in the middle of the night, Dr. Rowens suggests sewing a tennis ball into the back of your pajamas.
If nasal congestion is the cause of your snoring, nasal decongestants or antihistamines to control your allergies may help.
However, antihistamines can also contribute to the problem because many are sedating.
Dr. Rowens says that nasal dilating strips are helpful for some persons.
There are also dental devices that help keep the tongue in place to prevent snoring. And, new procedures are being developed all the time. The latest involves inserting small rods into the back of the throat, stiffening the soft palate, and making it less likely to vibrate, he says.
If your snoring is caused by sleep apnea, the gold standard of non-surgical treatment is called CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), says Dr. Zafarlotfi.
Using a specially designed nasal mask or pillows, CPAP delivers air into the airway, with the flow of air creating enough pressure when you inhale to keep the airway open, states the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
Other treatments are not generally recommended, because they can stop the snoring, but the apnea is still present.
Always consult your physician for more information.
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Sleep apnea is characterized by a number of involuntary breathing pauses or "apneic events" during a single night's sleep - maybe as many as 20 to 30 or more events per hour.
These events are almost always accompanied by snoring between apneic episodes (although not everyone who snores has sleep apnea).
Sleep apnea may also be characterized by choking sensations. The frequent interruptions of deep, restorative sleep often lead to early morning headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness.
During the apneic event, the person is unable to breathe in oxygen and to exhale carbon dioxide, resulting in low levels of oxygen and increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.
The reduction in oxygen and increase in carbon dioxide alert the brain to resume breathing and cause an arousal.
With each arousal, a signal is sent from the brain to the upper airway muscles to open the airway; breathing is resumed, often with a loud snort or gasp.
Frequent arousals, although necessary for breathing to restart, prevent a person from getting enough restorative, deep sleep.
Certain mechanical and structural problems in the airway cause the interruptions in breathing during sleep.
Apnea occurs:
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when the throat muscles and tongue relax during sleep and partially block the opening of the airway
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when the muscles of the soft palate at the base of the tongue and the uvula relax and sag, the airway becomes blocked, making breathing labored and noisy and even stopping it altogether
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in obese people when an excess amount of tissue in the airway causes it to be narrowed
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with a narrowed airway, the person continues his/her efforts to breathe, but air cannot easily flow into or out of the nose or mouth
Diagnosis of sleep apnea is not simple because there can be many different causes.
Primary care physicians, pulmonologists, neurologists, or other physicians with specialty training in sleep disorders may be involved in making a definitive diagnosis and initiating treatment.
Several tests are available for evaluating a person for sleep apnea, including the following:
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polysomnography - a test that records a variety of body functions during sleep, such as the electrical activity of the brain, eye movement, muscle activity, heart rate, respiratory effort, air flow, and blood oxygen levels
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Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) - a test that measures the speed of falling asleep. People without sleep problems usually take an average of 10 to 20 minutes to fall asleep. Individuals who fall asleep in less than 5 minutes are likely to require some type of treatment for sleep disorders
Diagnostic tests usually are performed in a sleep center, but new technology may allow some sleep studies to be conducted in the patient's home.
Always consult your physician for more information.
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