JOIN USIt is an open secret that snoring can be disturbing not only for the person who is suffering from it but his partner as well.
However, snoring which occurs because of obstruction in the air passage of nose and mouth, can lead to serious health problems for you apart from just disturbing your partner’s sleep. This is categorised as obstructive sleep apnoea.
This happens if the oxygen level dips very low due to snoring which is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound is due to obstruction of air during breathing while sleeping.
According to ENT specialists, one of the most common reasons of snoring is obesity which can lead to health problems like high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack.
“There are two types of snoring – one only has a loud sound and poses no ill-effects, and other in which a person’s oxygen level goes down while sleeping, besides creating the sound,” says Dr Shomeshwar Singh, an ENT and cochlear implant surgeon, Columbia Asia Hospital in Gurgaon.
It first needs to be established through a sleep study that snoring is not causing low oxygen levels. If a person is suffering from sleep apnoea, then he needs to be actively treated.
People complaining of sleep disorders rarely get up feeling fresh. They tend to fall asleep the moment they sit in the car or are inactive, even for a little while. People who are alcoholic, take drugs or sleeping pills are at higher risk of even dying due to obstruction of oxygen.
“One of the easiest methods of overcoming snoring is shedding weight because it reduces the fat at the air passage at nose and throat level. Adopting a healthy lifestyle also reduces risk,” says Dr Lalit Mohan, senior ENT specialist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
Snoring is a lifestyle disorder. According to specialists, around 20 per cent of world’s population suffers from sleep disorders and of those five to eight percent have obstructive sleep apnoea.
People who are heavy snorers but not overweight suffer from it because of thick palate uvula from birth that obstructs smooth air passage during night leading to a loud sound.
“Such people can go in for a surgery which helps improves the breathing passage. They can also use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine while sleeping. The machine builds up a positive pressure on the nose and mouth keeping the air passage open,” says Dr Shomeshwar.
The machine is best suited for those whose snoring is not impacting their health.