Sleep apnoea and snoring and the effects they can have on your wellbeing
Posted by admin | Posted in Sleeping problems |
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Snoring is often the cause of much irritation, disturbance and, sometimes, embarrassment when discussed, for people in Merthyr and around the UK. If you’re trying to sleep next to somebody who is a loud snorer, then you’ll almost certainly have a disrupted night’s sleep, if any at all, and you even decide to seek stop snoring treatment. But what exactly is snoring, and why do at least 30% of us do it?
What is snoring?
Snoring is essentially due to parts of your nose and throat vibrating due to obstructed air movement whilst you breathe. The resulting sound can range from being fairly quiet, to extremely loud and disruptive. There are all kinds of reasons as to why people snore, such as obstructed nasal passages, sleeping positions, fat gathering around the throat, enlarged tonsils, and alcohol or drugs relaxing the throat muscles, amongst others. All of these causes can be treated in various ways to stop snoring, but there is also the possibility that your snoring could be a symptom of Sleep Apnoea.
What is sleep apnoea?
Sleep Apnoea is a sleep disorder that affects approximately 20% of adults, with 90% of those often going untreated. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep apnoea; this is when the airflow during sleep is interrupted or paused at a consistent rate, preventing air from entering the lungs. If this is happening for more than 10 seconds each time and occurring 10 times per hour, then it is likely that you are suffering from OSA. OSA only happens during sleep due to the airway collapsing through lack of muscle tone, sufferers will often wake up with a loud snore or snort – this is the brain waking them up to make them breath again.
How do you know you have Sleep Apnoea?
It is common for a partner, friends or family to notice the symptoms of OSA before the actually sufferer, as it is something that does affect those around you. Those with OSA will experience some of the following symptoms:
- Very loud snoring, often with pauses and gasps in the breathing.
- Feeling excessively lethargic during the day (falling asleep at work, whilst driving etc.)
- Morning headaches.
- Short temper.
- Anxiety or depression.
- Forgetfulness.
- Decreased interest in sex.
- Behavioural and mood changes.
If you do suffer from these symptoms on a regular basis and not just from time to time, then it is advised that you visit a physician at The Private Clinic who will advise you further.
Cases of OSA range from very mild to very severe, which your doctor will measure. To find out whether you suffer from OSA, a ‘sleep study’ will be performed. For this study, the patient will stay overnight in a hospital so that they can be monitored to find out how severe the disorder is. From this, your doctor will advise you on what kind of treatment to use – depending on the severity – to cure OSA.
