We all snore at some time in our lives. A cold or allergy can obstruct the nasal passages, and a few drinks too close to bedtime can instantly relax the muscles in the tongue, palate, and throat. Before we realize it, we are unintentionally forcing air through these soft tissues, creating vibrations that are heard as snores.
Snoring can be common and has no health risks. Snoring, however, can also be a major indicator of obstructive sleep apnea, a dangerous sleep disease in which sufferers actually cease breathing for intervals of 10 seconds or longer. We start to worry when the snoring is noisy and loud or when breathing pauses occur throughout it. At least 936 million people globally and 25 million Americans are thought to have obstructive sleep apnea, with many more going untreated.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, obstructive sleep apnea puts you at a high risk for hypertension, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, depression, and possibly an early death if it is not addressed.
How can you know whether your snoring is endangering your health? The article explores what does snoring in seniors mean.
Exhausted
Being extremely exhausted throughout the day is a telltale sign of insufficient sleep. It might be a warning sign of sleep apnea when combined with snoring. One of the best indicators of sleep apnea is daytime tiredness. Along with being tired and snoring the place down, the trademark symptoms of insomnia include falling asleep whenever you have a moment, taking breaks after meals, and watching movies while sitting down.
Observed Apnea
The majority of individuals, if not all of them, are unaware that they snore at night. Unless the obstruction is so severe that they awaken gasping for air and choking, they are also unaware that they cease breathing throughout the night. Observed apnea is worse than snoring alone. An apnea is defined as a condition in which there is no airflow, either in or out. Inability to breathe A red flag is really observed apnea.
Bed mates are frequently essential in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. If your spouse stops breathing, snores, coughs, or gasps for air, these are all indications that the snoring may not be normal and should be addressed by a sleep expert.
High Blood Pressure
Hypertension might result from sleep apnea that is obstructed. The sympathetic nervous system of the body activates and increases blood pressure whenever a person stops breathing for a brief period of time. Catecholamines, which the body also releases in response to stress, have the potential to eventually elevate blood pressure.
While having high blood pressure on its own does not always indicate that you have a sleep issue, it can be a red flag when accompanied with other telling signs. Thankfully, therapies for obstructive sleep apnea, such as continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, have been demonstrated to not only treat the condition but also decrease blood pressure.
BMI
Body mass index is a number that is frequently used to represent weight categories. Health professionals monitor changes in weight in relation to height by tracking height and weight data to calculate BMI. If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, your weight is regarded as normal. If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you are considered overweight, and if it is 30 or more, you are considered obese.
Obstructive sleep apnea is usually observed in people who are obese or severely obese, defined as having a BMI of 35 or more. This is because additional weight in the mouth, tongue, and neck causes those soft tissues to compress, making it more difficult to breathe smoothly without snoring.
A health care professional may advise losing weight through exercise as a key component of a treatment plan for sleep apnea.
