We tend to laugh at loud snoring, but snoring is no laughing matter, doctors warn. It not only disrupts the sleep of a snorer’s bed partner, but it may signal a serious health problem.
Unfortunately, a snorer is not aware that he snores: he cannot hear himself snoring (though everybody else in the room can!). Because snoring is so commonplace, it often fails to be recognized as a potential health threat.
Everybody snores from time to time, although it occurs more often in men and overweight people. Snoring tends to worsen with age. The real problem occurs, though, when snoring becomes habitual.
Habitual snoring impairs the snorer’s sleep, and it needs to be treated medically. It may even be a signal of something more sinister: a sleep condition called sleep apnea. This disorder is characterized by either abnormal pauses in breathing or abnormally low breathing. The most common type of this sleep condition is called obstructive sleep apnea.
People suffering from obstructive sleep apnea are often unaware of the problem, though they complain of feeling tired and sleepy during the day.
They may fall asleep in the middle of some activity and have to take naps during the day. Symptoms may also include morning headaches, poor concentration, irritability, and needing to pass urine during the night.
Snoring and sleep apnea are related. It can be argued that snoring is a milder form of the disorder, the difference being that, in snoring, the partial restriction of the airway occurs, while “apnea” means complete restriction.
Snoring can reach up to eighty decibels, the level of noise high enough to cause hearing damage over time.
In sleep apnea, a blocked airway limits the air supply so severely that oxygen levels drop, causing the sleeper to wake up, snorting and gasping for air. A period in which you stop breathing for more than ten seconds is the defining characteristic of this sleep disorder.
This cycle can repeat itself hundreds of times in one night. When your brain has to wake you up, it releases stress hormones that keep you from falling asleep again. They also increase your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Some people actually stop breathing for up to a minute without ever fully waking up.
Statistics suggest that half of adult Americans snore, some significantly, at one time or another. One in fifteen adults suffers from at least a moderate cessation of breathing. One in five adults has at least a mild cessation of breathing.
This sleep disorder gets more prevalent as we get older and heavier. A typical patient is a middle-aged man.
But, it’s not only adults that are affected: between one and three percent of children, particularly those with enlarged tonsils or adenoids, suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. People with diabetes, obesity, head injuries, and women during and after menopause have higher chances of developing the disorder.
While people who snore often also suffer from sleep apnea, not all of those affected by the disorder actually snore. It is estimated that about ten percent of people who snore suffer from sleep apnea.
The only way to make sure that you indeed suffer from the cessation of breathing is by getting a sleep study.
Only one in three people who suffer from sleep apnea actually know that they have this disease. The difference between heavy snoring and sleep apnea can be put this way: while snoring is a symptom, sleep apnea is a disease.
Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening sleep disorder. Broken sleep patterns, low oxygen levels, and high blood pressure during sleep are, unfortunately, only the beginning of problems for those suffering from his disorder.
Untreated sleep apnea increases your risk for heart attack, irregular heartbeat, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, depression, memory difficulties, personality changes, and decreased libido. It can worsen nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Additionally, daytime drowsiness can result in accidents and loss of productivity. Trials show that drivers who are sleepy due to apnea do worse than those with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit!
Some studies even suggest that serious sleep apnea can significantly shorten your lifespan.
CAUTION: Now I need you to pay very close attention to this
Stop Snoring in 3 Minutes — Starting Tonight
The Stop Snoring and Sleep Apnea Program is a series of throat exercises designed to eliminate snoring and sleep apnea.
According to the Blue Heron Health News official site, what makes The Stop Snoring and Sleep Apnea Program a unique program is that it combines up to 24 unique but simple exercises to ensure one heals their snoring and sleep apnea problems.
The site further claims that by identifying the five existing types of snoring and carefully crafting the necessary solution to each root cause, using the program ensures that one will be healed.
The best part about the program is that one doesn’t have to strain themselves with strenuous exercise, expensive tools, and drugs, or even, really use their voice. With simple 3-to-5-minute exercises, they can regain back control of their sleep.
To learn more and test-drive the easy snoring and sleep apnea exercises for yourself, click here…