Sleep specialist and an instructor in the division of sleep medicine for Harvard Medical School, Rebecca Robbins, said snoring can be normal, a condition not to worry about.
A Tucson Healthy Aging report specified that all people snore, at least at some point in their lives. A snore such as a cold or allergy that blocks nasal passages, a few drinks close to bedtime that automatically relaxes the tongue, palate, and throat muscles, and before one knows it, he's unconsciously forcing air past the soft tissues that "cause vibrations escaping as a snore."
However, snoring can be a key indicator of obstructive sleep apnea or OSA, a severe sleep disorder in which an individual stops breathing for 10 seconds or even more at a time.
Robbins added, when it is "loud, raucous snoring," or disrupted by pauses during breathing, that's where the worry begins.
3 Causes of Snoring
An American Academy of Sleep Medicine report said it had been estimated that at least 25 million Americans and more than 930 million people globally might suffer from OSA, with much more remaining undiagnosed. Three of the probable main reasons why people snore, according to this Healthy Aging report, include:
1. High Blood Pressure
OSA can result in hypertension. Each time an individual stops breathing for a few seconds, the body's sympathetic nervous system goes into action and increases blood pressure.
More so, the body releases stress hormones, also known as "catecholamines," which can also cause the blood pressure to rise over time.
While having high blood pressure by itself is not an indication of sleep disorder, it can serve as a warning sign when combined with other revealing signals.
2. Age
As people age, the muscle tone weakens, including the soft palate and neck. Therefore, being above 50 years of age is another probable indication that the snoring may be or become OSA, as detailed in the Johns Hopkins Medicine site.
There is some good news as research begins showing that sleep apnea in older adults tends to be of a "mild to moderate kind," which has more severe conditions occurring at younger ages.
3. Gender
As indicated in this report, males have an increased risk for OSA. Among the reasons may be that men are inclined to have fatter tissues and carry more fat in their upper bodies than women, particularly in their necks.
More so, male individuals tend to have more belly fat compared to women, making generally breathing much more difficult.
However, according to a sleep specialist and associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, Dr. Raj Dasgupta, they see more OSA in women after menopause.
Treatments
The treatment choice for OSA is the use of a device called continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP. This device helps keep the airway unbarred or open throughout the night by pushing the air into the lungs via a nose mask.
Weight loss can substantially lessen or even eliminate OSA as the loss of tissue in the mouth, tongue, and neck is easing pressure on the airway.
Doctors can provide a prescription, too, specifically, an oral application designed to enlarge the airway by moving the jaw or tongue forward.
Meanwhile, if more severe or anatomical conditions like nasal polyps, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, or a deviated septum, nasal polyps contribute to OSA, doctors may recommend surgery.
For mild cases, "positional therapy" may work. This is another way of saying that keeping sleepers on their sides rather than their back while sleeping can improve airway flow and lessen snoring.
Information about knowing if snoring is an indication of a bigger problem is shown on Carrington College's YouTube video below:
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