Sleep Apnea (Snoring): Causes & Symptoms

Medically reviewed by Doctor Foo Wing Jian on Jul 31, 2019

WHAT IS SNORING?

Sound or noisy breathing during sleep are called snoring. Snoring happens when vibration occurs within the airways of the nose and throat which causes the particles in the air to form sound waves during sleep. Narrow air spaces that lead to snoring can be caused by various reasons depend on the health condition of the people.

Despite age or gender, snoring can be a common problem to anyone and more frequently in men. It usually becomes more serious as people age and are overweight. Snoring may occur nightly or intermittently.

SNORING

Occasional snoring is usually not very serious but it may cause disruptions to your sleep and mostly a nuisance for your bed-partner’s sleep. People who snore a lot can lead to poor productivity which include tiredness and sleepiness after being affected by the fragmented and un-refreshing sleep. 

Among people who snore loudly, half of the population have obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. Sleep apnea caused the people who have it stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep which may occur up to a hundred times and cause the brain and the rest of the body to lose oxygen. 

Medical-illustration-of-sleep-apnea

There are three types of sleep apnea:

  • Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – The most common sleeping disorder. It happens when the airway is blocked by the soft tissue in the back of the throat that collapses during sleep.
  • Central sleep apnea – The brain fails to signal the musclesto breathe, due to instability in the respiratory control centre. 
  • Complex sleep apnea syndrome – This syndrome are those who suffered from both obstructive and central sleep apnea disorder.

Sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age, both men and women, even children. Those who are suffering from this are advised to seek for medical assistance as snoring are believed linked to heart disease.

types of sleep apnea

WHAT CAUSES SNORING?

There are several factors that help in triggering snoring to happen. Aging process is one of the main factors where it lead to the relaxation of the throat muscles, thus resulting in snoring. Narrow throat during sleep caused by the anatomical and functional abnormalities of the nose and mouth or throat, such as enlarged tonsils or adenoids, nasal polyps, or deviated nasal septum also lead to snoring problem.

The ways you sleep also plays a big role. Uncomfortable sleep position like sleeping on your back may trigger snoring to happen.  Excessive or frequent intake of alcohol or medications daily may also cause snoring. Alcohol is a potent muscle relaxant and its ingestion in the evening will cause snoring. 

Obesity or overweight are one of the most important risk factors. Thick neck where a lot of fatty tissue found around the neck will worsen the problem. However, a thin woman with a small neck can just snore as loudly. In general, any risk factor mentioned can cause snoring to occur.

snore

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF SNORING?

Habitual snoring can be a sign of a serious health problem. Ignoring the problem can lead to more serious illness like obstructive sleep apnea which creates more problems like:

Interruptions of breathing

Interruptions of breathing

During sleep, where the area of the back of the throat is narrow and muscles relax, ended up for partial or total obstruction or blockage of the airway. It may cause you to wake up at night feeling short of breath. 

Interruptions of breathing

Light and poor night’s sleep

Poor night’s sleep caused by sleep apnea can lead to daytime sleepiness and fatigue where no matter how much time you spend in bed you still feel restless. Thus, it affects your quality of life and increase risk for car accidents which demand for healthy mental and physical. 

High blood pressure

High blood pressure

It is a medical chronic medical condition. Untreated and controlled high blood pressure lead to development of hypertension which much bigger problem.

Heart disease

Heart disease

Sleep apnea might cause chest pain, heart attack and premature death related to blockage of blood vessels.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes

Diabetes Mellitus is an illness with high glucose (blood sugar) levels.  A person with OSA tends to have higher level of glucose compared to others without it. 

Weight gain

Weight gain

By gaining extra weight, it raises the chances of getting sleep apnea. 

Adult asthma

Adult asthma

It is a disorder of the lungs that causes intermittent symptoms. By having sleep apnea, it may increase the risk of asthma complications.

Acid reflux

Acid reflux

People with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) often complain of sleep disorders and apnea can worsen heartburn.

Depression

Depression

Those who are suffering from apnea may like feeling sad, moody or low from time to time without any apparent reason. This serious condition can affect mental and physical health. 

Stroke

Stroke

A condition which poor blood flow to the brain results in cell death. Unfortunately, there are higher chances of developing it if you have had a stroke.

Decreased sexual desire

Decreased sexual desire

For men, erectile dysfunction may happen to whom that having sleep apnea as it curbs the sexual desire.

HOW TO PREVENT SNORING?

Air flows through our  respiratory organs, namely nose and mouth. As we are sitting, walking and breathing we still produce sounds, but when we are sleeping with unfavorable or wrong position, the sound became louder and louder. There are some effective techniques that can help in preventing snoring or sleep apnea from getting worse.

Here are some alternatives techniques to prevent snoring symptoms. 

healthy diet and lifestyle

Maintaining healthy weight by having a healthy diet and lifestyle is the most important factor to prevent sleep apnea. Eating more vegetables and fruit instead of red meat and carbohydrates with the correct portion of meal is a proper step in keeping a healthy weight. 

healthy diet and lifestyle

Weight gain and lose also be related to exercising in regular time. There are a lot of exercises can be chosen from the list from strength to endurance type. You may also apply yoga in daily life as it can increase energy levels, strengthen our hearts and improve sleep apnea. Yoga is designed to help improve oxygen levels during sleep as there are various breathing exercises that strengthens the lungs and promote proper breathing.

Sleep position

Sleep position plays an important role in triggering sleep apnea. Wrong sleeping positions like sleeping on your back (supine position) can block the airway. Altering sleep position can reduce sleep apnea and improve rest at night. 

Using humidifier

Using humidifier at home and working space helps in moisturising the air. Adding up an essential oil together with the humidifier facilitate in open your airways, decrease congestion, and encourage clearer breathing. 

limiting smoking and alcohol

Consider quitting or limiting smoking and alcohol intake daily can help improve the overall health and encourage better sleeping habits as well. As alcohol is a muscle relaxer, it triggers snoring. Alcohol relaxes throat muscles that controls breathing and lead to inflammation in the airways and blocked it.  Tobacco inside cigarette also same as it causes inflammation and swelling in the airways.

HOW TO REDUCE/STOP SNORING?

There are both nonsurgical and surgical treatments available for snoring problem.

If you’d like to know more about snoring solutions suitable for you, please call us to arrange a consultation session. We are available from 8am to 12 midnight DAILY.

Call/Whatsapp: 012-662-5552

Email: contactus@premier-clinic.com

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