Hey, healthy lifestyle lovers! Today we’re talking about a widely misunderstood topic — snoring. Snoring, which is often seen as a joke, actually hides a potential health risk. Let’s take a closer look at the Snoring!
It’s not just the Sound
Most people may not think that snoring is caused by a narrowing or partial obstruction of the airway at the back of the mouth, throat, or nose. Whether the tissues, tongue, and throat relax while you sleep, or because of allergies, sinus problems, or even being overweight, the airways can narrow and trigger snoring. When air passes through these narrow areas, it produces those familiar snoring sounds.
The larger the tissues in your soft palate (the roof of your mouth in the back of your throat), the more likely you are to snore while sleeping. Alcohol or sedatives taken shortly before sleep also promote snoring. These drugs cause greater relaxation of the tissues in your throat and mouth. Surveys reveal that about one-half of all adults snore, and 50 percent of these adults do so loudly and frequently. African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics are more likely to snore loudly and frequently compared with Caucasians, and snoring problems increase with age.
Warning Signs not to be Ignored
While snoring may not sound serious, it is often a sign of sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that can increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Frequent and loud snoring not only affects sleep quality but may also lead to daytime sleepiness and decreased productivity at work. Think about it, if you don’t sleep well all night because of snoring, how can you be energetic the next day?
One study found that older adults who did not have sleep apnea, but who snored 6–7 nights a week, were more than twice as likely to report being extremely sleepy during the day than those who never snored. That sleepiness may help explain why snorers are more likely to be in car crashes than people who don’t snore. Loud snoring also can disrupt the sleep of bed partners and strain marital relations, especially if snoring causes the spouses to sleep in separate bedrooms.
Regular snoring is linked to a heightened risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, heart failure, and stroke. Also, snoring during pregnancy, common from the second trimester, can be linked to high blood pressure and potentially affect the baby’s growth, but it usually resolves post-delivery.
Snoring in children: A Problem that cannot be ignored
Snoring can be an underestimated problem among children. Up to 10 to 15 percent of young children snore regularly, which can affect their intelligence, memory, and attention, and in some cases, snoring can have more impact on a child’s intelligence than lead poisoning. If your child snores loudly and often shows signs of apnea, hyperactivity, or daytime sleepiness, you’d better get it evaluated by a doctor.
Countermeasures: From daily Adjustments to Medical Interventions
Surgery to remove the adenoids and tonsils of children often can cure their snoring and any associated sleep apnea. Such surgery has been linked to a reduction in hyperactivity and improved ability to pay attention, even in children who showed no signs of sleep apnea before surgery.
Snoring in older children and adults may be relieved by less invasive measures, however. These measures include losing weight, refraining from use of tobacco, sleeping on the side rather than on the back, or elevating the head while sleeping. Treating chronic congestion and refraining from alcohol or sedatives before sleeping also may decrease snoring. In some adults, snoring can be relieved by dental appliances that reposition the soft tissues in the mouth. Although numerous over-the-counter nasal strips and sprays claim to relieve snoring, no scientific evidence supports those claims.
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