Snoring
Snoring is
a very common occurrence. As you fall asleep, the airway from
your nose to your windpipe narrows, and the soft tissues along
them vibrate as you breathe. While snoring can be just annoying,
it may be an indication of a serious problem, obstructive sleep
apnea. This is more likely if your snoring is marked enough to
keep others awake and if you snort and gasp as well as just snore.
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"...Snoring
is a
very common occurance...
41 percent of
the men and
28 percent of
the women
snore all or
part of
the time..."
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Snoring is
a very common occurrence. Generally speaking, your body producesthis
nighttime music when your breathing passage is obstructed.
This results
in noises that can range from a gentle
buzz to the sound of a Harley Davidson revving up.
While snoring
may just be annoying, it may be an indication of a serious problem,
obstructive sleep apnea, a potentially
life-threatening disorder. This is particularly true if the snoring
is marked enough to bother others or keep them awake and if gasping
or snorting is also noted. So it's important not to dismiss loud
snoring as just a minor nuisance.
A large percentage
of the population snores at least occasionally. According to one
study, 41 percent of the men and 28 percent of the women snore
all or part of the time. Snoring tends to get worse with age;
for people over 60 years old, 60 percent of the men and 40 percent
of the women snore.[1]
Why We Snore
Why do so
many people snore? It's not known if there's an evolutionary reason
for it. One far-fetched idea is that cavemen snored in order to
scare off bears and other threatening beasts.
What physically
happens during snoring is that as you fall asleep the muscles
at the back of your throat relax,, the airway from your nose to
your windpipe narrows, and the soft tissues along them become
loose and floppy. So when you breathe, they vibrate, producing
those snoring sounds.
You may snore
more on some occasions than others. Something as simple as the
way you sleep might trigger snoring: if you tend to sleep on your
back, your airway may be obstructed by your tongue falling back.
As you might guess, allergies and colds, which lead to congested
sinuses, are also common causes. You're also more likely to snore
if you have a few drinks before going to bed, or are overweight.
Is Snoring
Hazardous to Your Health?
About half
the time, the snorer is getting a good night's sleep, and it's
only a problem for someone else who's sleeping in the same bed.
However, the really loud, earsplitting kind of snoring that keeps
others up in the next room is usually an indicator of something
more serious. Loud snoring is a key symptom of sleep
apnea, a major sleep disorder that often goes undiagnosed.
An estimated 14 million Americans have this condition. Men are
twice as likely to snore and have sleep apnea as women.
Even if we're
talking about garden-variety snoring and not sleep apnea, if someone
in the house isn't getting enough sleep, it's an issue that should
be addressed. Secondhand snoring, like secondhand smoking, is
no joke.
How to Stop
Snoring
You may be
able to stop snoring by making changes in your lifestyle. For
instance, dealing with a weight problem might help. Other people
have gotten rid of their snores by avoiding alcohol and quitting
smoking.
You may have
heard about nasal strips, with brand names like Breathe Right.
These sticky bands open up the nasal passages, and can help you
breathe more easily if you have a stuffy nose. In some cases this
may help snoring, however, there's no strong scientific evidence
that they consistently help sleep anpnea.
If you snore
when you sleep on your back, try training yourself to sleep on
your side by putting a tennis ball in a sock, and sewing it to
your pajamas between the shoulder blades.
In some cases,
a doctor may prescribe a device to keep your airways open. There
are oral appliances which keep the tongue pushed forward and the
mouth closed. Another device, a breathing mask that provides continuous
positive airway pressure CPAP, has also been used with success.
(treatment of sleep apnea)
Snoring can
also be caused by some physical abnormality that can be fixed
through surgery. Occasionally, people have a deviated septum,
which means that the partition down the center of their nose is
crooked. Or, you may have excess tissue in the back of your mouth,
like a large uvula (the part that dangles down at the very back).
In any case,
a doctor may be able to determine what part of your breathing
apparatus is causing the snoring sounds, whether your snoring
is a symptom of sleep apnea, and what would be the most appropriate
treatment for you.
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