by Lorraine Traylor

Created on: October 29, 2009   Last Updated: November 26, 2009

Snoring may be slowly killing you or it may kill you outright. Snoring could be a sign of sleep apnea or other sleep problems. The tongue is a large muscle that, when the person is asleep, can partially block the airway. If that person breathes through their mouth for whatever reason - clogged sinuses, deviated septum, etc. - the oxygen intake to the brain is decreased during sleep. Although it is suggested that a person get eight hours' sleep a night, a person who has slept with a partially occluded airway will feel the effects the next morning. Imagine what effects will accumulate over many years.

Snoring in and of itself may not be a health risk. The snorer should be evaluated in a sleep lab whether or not they fit the typical body type or lifestyle type they assume is associated with sleep apnea. Petite female non-smokers are just as capable as having sleep apnea as overweight older males. Sleep apnea can be caused by anatomy also, such as a narrow space between the palate and the tongue.

There are three types of sleep apnea, OSA or obstructive sleep apnea and CSA or central sleep apnea. OSA is the more common of the two, caused by the obstruction of the tongue in the back of the throat. CSA is actually a neurologic problem where the brain doesn't send the body the signal to breathe. The third type is the combination of the previous two and is called complex sleep apnea.

OSA is associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and strokes. There are several sleep disturbances that go hand-in-hand with sleep apnea, such as obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome. Simply put, you wake up to breathe several times a night because you can't breathe correctly while sleeping. This is your body's defense mechanism against becoming underoxygenated and losing consciousness and ultimately dying.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

Snoring

Excessive daytime sleepiness

Observed breathing cessation during sleep

Sudden gasping or choking waking during sleep, with difficulty breathing

Staying asleep or waking numerous times

Waking up with a dry mouth and/or sore throat

Waking up with a headache

The sleep study is a wonderful tool to determine what the true nature of the problem is. You are connected to an EKG monitor to measure your heart rate, a pulse oximeter to measure the amount of oxygen in your blood. (This shows how much or how little you are breathing in and will alert the technicians if your oxygen level becomes too low.) An ECG monitor to measure brain waves to track what stage of sleep you are in, how long it takes you to reach that stage, how long you stay there and when you awake. A small microphone under your nose to capture any snoring, and lastly, electrodes on your arms and legs to measure movements through the night. Some people who have sleep apnea also have a syndrome known as RLS or PLM, restless leg syndrome or periodic limb movement. With either of these, the person's arms and legs, or just their legs, move while they are sleeping. It can be mild, moderate or severe and is usually treated with medications.

All these things combined can take a great toll on a person's health, making them feel as though they are basically sleep deprived. Cognitive function suffers, physical health may decline.

If you or a loved or snores, see your doctor; there is treatment for it. It could be as simple as getting a device to wear to bed or finding out you are simply a snorer with no underlying disease.

It's better to be safe.

Sleep well!

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