Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Why Do I Snore? / What causes snoring? Is it Dangerous?
SleepBlizz provides best snoring treatment in India as we all have grown up thinking the person who snores has the best Sleep. However medically, snoring can be a sign of dangerous condition known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
What causes snoring is a question that can be answered multiple ways. From an anatomical standpoint, snoring is caused by a partially closed upper airway (the nose and throat). Everyone’s neck muscles relax during sleep, but sometimes they relax so much that the upper airway partly closes and becomes too narrow for enough air to travel through to the lungs.
Why do some people snore and others don’t?
Those who have enlarged tonsils, an enlarged tongue or excess weight around the neck are more prone to snoring. And structural reasons like the shape of one’s nose or jaw can also cause snoring. The snoring sound itself is a result of the narrowing of a person’s airway, which causes a throat vibration and the snoring sound. No matter the reason, 40% of normal adults snore regularly,1 whether they realize it or not.
(1 )Ohayon MM et al. Snoring and breathing pauses during sleep: telephone interview survey of a United Kingdom population sample. BMJ. 1997;314:860–3.
Snoring may be a sign of a more serious condition known as sleep apnea (OSA). In case if its sleep apnea, Then It is DANGEROUS
What is Sleep Apnea?
In most cases snoring is a warning sign of Sleep Apnea. The condition is far more serious than obnoxious snoring. Patients with sleep apnea actually stop breathing in the middle of the night.
The signs/symptoms of sleep apnea include:
Excessive daytime drowsiness
Chronic loud snoring
Waking suddenly in the middle of night short of breath
Consistently struggling to fall asleep at night
Problems staying focused and paying attention [BP]
The most common type of sleep apnea is called obstructive sleep apnea. This condition is caused when the airway collapses or is briefly obstructed during sleep, resulting in a sharp intake of air and a loud snoring sound.
If you experience any combination of the symptoms above, we recommend doing a Home Sleep Study or consult a sleep specialist to determine if you have sleep apnea.
Types Of Sleep Apnea
There are three main types of sleep apnea: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) and Mixed Sleep Apnea(MSA).
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea, making up 84% of sleep apnea diagnoses.
In most cases of obstructive sleep apnea, air stops flowing to the lungs because of a blockage (or obstruction) in the upper airway – that is, in the nose or throat.
Central sleep apnea (CSA)
Central sleep apnea (CSA) is a less common type of sleep apnea. In some cases, the airway is actually open but air stops flowing to the lungs because no effort is made to breathe. This is because the communication between the brain and the body has been affected so the automatic action of breathing stops. People with CSA don't often snore, so the condition sometimes goes unnoticed.
Mixed sleep apnea
This is a mixture of both obstructive sleep apnea OSA (where there is a blockage or obstruction in the upper airway) and CSA (where no effort is made to breathe). Your doctor can help you understand more about this if you need to.
If you have any concerns that you may have any type of sleep apnea, Have a Home Sleep study done or consult our sleep specialist for further action.
The upper airway could become blocked due to:
- the muscles around your airway relaxing too much during sleep, which blocks sufficient air from getting through. This narrow airway causes a vibration in your throat, which creates the sound of snoring.
- the weight of your neck narrowing the airway
- inflamed tonsils, or other temporary reasons
- structural reasons, like the shape of your nose, neck or jaw
Social, Medical and Work problems associated with Snoring/OSA
OSA/snoring can create havoc with the person’s professional and personal life seriously compromising on the quality of life, work performance, and health.
Social Problems
- Snoring can make the snorer an object of ridicule and can cause the bed partner to experience sleepless nights and fatigue.
- Serious marital problems which include spouse opting to sleep separately due to snoring.
- Research has found Sleep apnea to be one to the reasons Motor Vehicle accidents.
- People with sleep apnoea have Decreased libido
Medical Problems
It disturbs sleeping patterns and deprives the snorer of adequate rest, which can lead to serious, long-term health problems.
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Weight gain
- Complications with medications and surgery
Work Problems
- High incidence of absenteeism and sick leave
- High incidence of presenteeism[Showing for work tired with low productivity]
- Low productivity at work/Poor work performance
- Suddenly falling asleep during important meetings
- Poor concentration at work
- Impaired memory
If you have any concerns that you may have any type of sleep apnea, Have Home Sleep study done or consult our sleep specialist for further action.
How to get Sleep Test Done
- If you have trouble sleeping if you snore or suspect that you have sleep apnea, it’s important to take those signs seriously and follow these simple steps:
- Recognise your symptoms.
- Take our Sleep Apnea Quiz to see if you’re at risk
- Talk to our Sleep Specialist about your sleep condition
- Take Home Sleep Test as advised by sleep specialist
- Take up treatment for sleep apnoea
Home Sleep Test
These sleep tests can be done at home right in your bed itself without full night presence of a Technician. Home Sleep Tests are very convenient.
For assisting in the tests, a Technician would visit your home along with a portable sleep lab machine. Such portable sleep lab machines are comparable to the size of a large smartphone. Either technician sets up the machine at night or teaches you to set it up yourself before going to sleep. These are simple machines and can be disconnected in the morning.
Hospital Sleep Lab Test
Such tests are conducted in Hospital's Sleep Lab during the night under the monitoring of a Medical Technician. For HOSPITAL sleep lab tests the patient has to book and make an appointment, wait for the "turn" and get admitted to the hospital for one night, and may have to spend part of a day too.
Hospital Sleep Lab machines are large complex machines. The only technician has to set up the machine at night for the patient before he going to sleep. These are complex machines and should be disconnected in the morning by a technician only.
Generally, the cost is between 15k to 20k.
