Snoring and sleep apnea – What’s the correlation?
Dr.Kut | May 19, 2010 | Comments 0
Snoring is quite a common sleep problem encountered by many people. In fact it has been proved by research that 40% of people snore at some point in their life. Because snoring is so casual it isn’t given due importance and treated medically the way it should be. It is essential to get your snoring tested and treated because snoring could be the side effect of some serious sleep related problems like sleep apnea.
One of the most serious and threat posing conditions related to snoring is sleep apnea. This is the condition when the person stops breathing for a period of 10 seconds or more when he is asleep. Then when he starts breathing again, there is a lack of oxygen in his body which results in potential heart problems and even possible damage to the brain. Some of the other signs of this sleep problem besides heavy, loud snoring include headaches, feeling tired all the time, taking short naps during the day and even insomnia.
You should get your snoring problem tested by an expert to rule out any sleep apnea problems. Most people with sleep apnea are diagnosed to have obstructive sleep apnea. This means that the person has some kind of a blockage in the airway. This could be a soft tissue in the throat which falls shut for some time resulting in the person to stop breathing for a while. Obstructive sleep apnea can be cause by jaw or throat anatomy and it might have been brought on by obesity. Sleep apnea is a very serious sleep problem which could even have serious consequences so it is always better to get it checked up by a physician.
If you ask your physician to explain the entire nose throat anatomy to you in reference to your obstructive sleep apnea problem then it will be more understandable by you. Your physician might inquire about any throat pain you might be experiencing. Sleep apnea necessarily does not come accompanied with throat pain. Using throat pictures your doctor can take you step by step explaining the functions of the throat parts giving you a details description of the anatomy of the throat. This will make it easier for you to comprehend the problem and then you can decide on what course of treatment you want to opt for.
The severity of your sleep apnea problem can only be estimated by a few tests. If your sleep apnea problem does not appear to be very serious then your doctor might advice you to lose some weight and try to sleep on your side. If however the problem appears to be a little more attention requiring then you may need a CPAP. CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure and it is a device which forces the airway to stay open so that breathing does not stop. Another device used in the treatment of sleep apnea is the Bi-PAP. This is a device which delivers air at two different pressures for correct exhalation and inhalation.
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Filed Under: General Health
