How Snoring Relates To Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder which causes a pause in breathing while sleeping. A few breaths are missed during sleep and this occurs many times throughout sleep. An apneic event includes an interval of ten seconds between lost breaths.
Snoring is when the airways become obstructed where the tongue meet the uvula and palate. Snoring occurs as a result of these two structures vibrating while breathing. Snoring is caused by many factors. When the muscles of the tongue and throat are too relaxed the tongue falls back onto the throat while sleeping. If a person is overweight there is bulkiness of throat tissues. Another factor is when the nasal airways are blocked and extra effort is required to pull air through. This causes an exaggerated noise. Even deformities in the nasal septum or nose can result in obstruction.
Obstructive sleep apnea is when snoring is interrupted by obstructive breathing. These episodes of lost breaths last a few seconds and occur as many as seven times for an hour. A person with apnea may experience as many as hundred events in one hour. This can cause the blood oxygen levels to reduce and result in the heart pumping harder. The effect caused by sleep apnea is that the person sleeps lightly in order for his muscles to remain tensed to maintain a stead flow of air. This invariably causes a snorer to be sleepy during the day and unable to attend to daily activities. This disorder results in heart enlargement and increased blood pressure.
A snorer can try self help sleep apnea and snoring remedies at home.
- Adopting a lifestyle that is healthy that will develop the muscles in the tongue
- Avoiding sleeping pills and tranquilizers before bedtime
- Lessening alcohol and eliminating tobacco
- Having a regular sleeping pattern
- Elevating the bed and using extra pillows and sleeping sideways instead of on your back
If a person is a heavy snorer he should seek medical advice, to ensure that sleep apnea will not cause serious health problems. A sleep study can be done at home to determine if a snorer has sleep apnea.
