Snoring, Sleep Apnea, And More
If you snore, it could be for a variety of different reasons. Many people that snore do so because they have sleep apnea. Snoring and sleep apnea are related and dangerous. They pose a serious risk to your health. The best advice if you snore, is to see a doctor before it is too late.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Snoring and sleep apnea are both sleep disorders. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and occurs repeatedly throughout the night.
People that think they have sleep apnea because they snore might want to take a polysomnogram. This is a multi-channel recording during sleep resulting from a sleep test. Usually a doctor orders a polysomnogram to diagnose or rule out obstructive sleep apnea. To conduct the test, the patient comes to a sleep lab in the early evening, and over the next couple of hours is wired up so that multiple channels of data can be recorded while they are sleeping.
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Central Sleep Apnea, And Mixed Apnea?
The relationship between snoring and sleep apnea is clear. If you snore, you may have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA.) This condition is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breath. Mixed apnea is the combination of the two.
With each sleep apnea event, the brain briefly arouses the sleeper in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality. Many snorers and sleep apnea sufferers are shocked when they see footage of themselves sleeping at the sleep lab. They get anything but a good night's sleep. The video shows the snorer waking up and changing position dozens of times throughout the night. It is no wonder that snoring and sleep apnea sufferers never feel well rested.
Snoring And Sleep Apnea: Is A CPAP The Answer?
The snoring prevention device that doctors prescribe most often is the CPAP, a device that maintains constant air pressure in the airway by forcing air into the patient's mouth and respiratory system. The patient wears a mask over his or her face. The mask is connected to a tube. A motorized fan attached to the tube inflates the patient's airway so it is virtually impossible for the airway to collapse.
Most patients adapt quickly to the sensation of the mask and the noise of the fan. Virtually all snoring and sleep apnea disorders can be resolved by using the CPAP.
