Snoring & Sleep Apnea
Snoring is a common problem that can be more than just a nuisance to your bed partner. It occurs when the airflow through the mouth and nose becomes obstructed. The causes of snoring can be contributed to many factors, including:
- Obstructed nasal airways
- Poor muscle tone in the throat and tongue
- Bulky throat tissue (in overweight people and persons with large tonsils and adenoids)
- Long soft palate and/or uvula
- Snoring occurs more frequently in men and tends to increase with age. Occasional snoring is usually not very serious. However, chronic snoring can be a sign of a more serious condition called sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a disorder where a person stops breathing for more than 10 seconds during sleep, often occurring hundreds of times during the night. When this happens, the body's oxygen levels are lowered, causing the heart to work harder and the blood pressure to rise. This can lead to enlargement of the heart, which can eventually cause heart attack and stroke.