Snoring versus Sleep Apnea?
Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at
3:24 am
How bad is snoring on our general health? Is there any treatment for snoring?
Filed under: Snoring
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Snoring can progress into sleep apnea, a serious condition in which breathing stops periodically during sleep. Basically,
loud snoring that’s interrupted by bursts of choking or gasping may be obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) Episodes last a few seconds and occur frequently, reducing the blood oxygen levels and stressing the heart and lungs. Untreated OSA puts a person at increased risk for high blood pressure,
diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
Regarding treatments, no over-the-counter (OTC) remedies are proved to work. Your best bet is a medical evaluation; and if you snore occasionally and don’t have apnea, try losing weight, avoiding alcohol and sedating medications before bedtime, and sleeping on your side instead of your back. Steroid nasal sprays can relieve chronic nasal congestion caused by allergies. If you do have apnea, lifestyle changes may help, but you’ll probably need medical care. The most common treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), administered through a nasal mask that keeps the airways open by blowing a pressurized stream of air into your throat. Some people may benefit from surgery. The type depends on where blockages occur.
An effective method for stopping both snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea is the Pillar procedure, in which several small woven inserts are placed in the soft palate to support and stiffen it, reducing tissue vibration.
same some doctors well ask them to go to a sleep center for more test and treatment same with Sleep Apnea both can stop you from breathing while you sleep
For normal snoring yes there is, from health shops and pharmacies.
Sleep apnea is when you literally stop breathing and may need a pap machine.
I also have a lung disease and was checked for apnea but don’t have it phew!!!!!!!
Unless you are tired during the day, or you stop breathing for short periods during the night it probably isn’t hurting you. Are you normal weight? If you are heavy (check your BMI) losing weight will help because there won’t be so much fat around your neck. You can use a CPAP machine while you sleep that will force air in and stop the snoring. There is also surgical intervention as well. Go see an Ear Nose and Throat doctor. See if the Breathe Right strips from the drugstore help. I hear they are good.
You can get a Slumber Guard to stop snoring.
What they have been saying about apnea is that every time you stop breathing while you sleep puts stress on your heart and could increase your risk for a heart attack in the future. That might be a scare tactic. There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive is when the flap at the back of your throat collapses and closes while you sleep; central where your airway isn’t physically blocked but the brain fails to tell you muscles to breath; and mixed…well a combination of the two.
The biggest risk is that with every episode of not breathing the sleeper is woken up resulting in poor quality of sleep and when you don’t get enough sleep it just effects a lot of your life.
Snoring is different because there is air flow past the above mentioned flap, it’s actually a soft tissue that relaxes when you sleep, and causes it to vibrate resulting a disruptive noise. Not only can this keep your partner awake, but it can prevent you from getting into a deep sleep and wake you up throughout your sleep episode.
Snoring can indicate apnea. It can also indicate heart problems.
If a snoring is sleeping and breathing normally, most likely it’s not a health concern to that person…just more of a nuisance for anyone who is sleeping next to that snorer.
All the other answers are true. Here’s one more point. I got heart damage from the stress on my heart. It can not be repaired. I am now on oxygen 23/7 and use a cpap machine every night. I was a heavy snorer. It took two test for the sleep lap to find the apnea because I don’t stop breathing until I am in a very deep sleep. See a doctor.
yes, it prevents oxygen from getting into the body.