Snoring and Sleep Apnea: Find Out the

Connection

Snoring and sleep apnea is probably one of the most common sleeping disorders that many people all over the world experience. And though the sleep apnea sufferer may not be aware that he or she has this sleeping disorder, the people sleeping beside the sleep apnea sufferer may be fully aware of it.

There are many kinds of snoring and sleep apnea and most of it has something to do with the body and the brain not being able to get the proper amount of oxygen. It is because with sleep apnea, the airway is usually blocked or constricted making it difficult for oxygen to enter the body. Lack of oxygen can lead to many different illnesses like stroke, heart failure, high blood pressure and others.

Snoring and Sleep Apnea can Effect you During the Day Too.

When you suffer from sleep apnea you will notice that you have excessive daytime sleepiness and you will feel unproductive throughout the day. This is because sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that deprives your body the right amount of sleep.

Sleep apnea has so many symptoms and one of its most popular symptoms is snoring. Snoring is the description for the loud sounds that you produce when you sleep because of the pauses in breathing. When you snore it is rare for you to be aware of it, that’s why it is more possible for the bedmate to know that a person has sleep apnea (especially if they are light sleepers) than the person suffering from it.

But not all people who snore suffer from sleep apnea. There are other reasons why some people snore and it is not always sleep apnea.

A person’s sleeping position may cause a person to snore. People who sleep on their back tend to snore more than people who sleep on their side. This is because when you sleep on your back, your throat muscles relax and it narrows the airway. When the airway is constricted it is more difficult for a person to breathe and causes him to snore.

Being overweight is also another cause of snoring. When a person gains weight fat tissues also develop and when these fat tissues develop around the neck, it also constricts the airway.

There are many ways to treat snoring and sleep apnea  and the first thing to be done is to get evaluated by a doctor. They would use a sleep test like a polysomnography to detect changes in your heart rate, breathing pattern, oxygen level, brain waves and others to determine if you have sleep apnea.

Once the doctor is able to discover what causes your sleeping apnea or snoring then it will be easier to know how to treat it. Common ways of treating it is losing weight, using sleep apnea pillows, a change in lifestyle, and others.

Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea but just because you are snoring does not mean that you already have sleep apnea. It is always best to get yourself checked to see if your snoring and sleep apnea are possibly connected because this could become a serious sleeping disorder.