A Better Understanding of Snoring and Sleep Apnea

There are different instances of snoring that may be nothing more than a mild disturbance, or it may be symptomatic of something more serious such as sleep apnea.

According to experts in the medical profession, there are millions of people that snore as a result of vibrating tissues of the throat or upper airway. [an error occurred while processing this directive] People that snore can often have had a history of such an ailment that may lead to even more severe instances such as being overly sleepy during the daytime as well as having memory loss or headaches in the morning.

Two Sleep Disorders But with Different Cost’s

There as many as 18 million Americans with sleep apnea that have not been treated nor even been diagnosed. It is a condition that is grave enough to cause high blood pressure as well as excessive oxygen flowing into the brain and it is serious enough to threaten a person’s life. Sleep apnea should be treated as soon as possible, or else it can result in a person having problems during the daytime and many other worse medical disorders.

Snoring and sleep apnea are both sleep disorders in which snoring can be nothing more than a disturbance of not much importance which may also be symptomatic of sleep apnea. The difference between snoring and sleep apnea is that snoring is only a disorder that does not require medical treatment whereas sleep apnea is something that may be termed as a grave medical condition.

Snoring and sleep apnea are quite different from one another in other ways as well and the vast majority of those that have sleep apnea will not even know that they have such a condition. Whereas snoring can be ignored without peril to one’s health, in the case of sleep apnea, treatment is essential if one is not to succumb to its life threatening consequences.

There are also other differences between snoring and sleep apnea in that snoring can be mild or serious, whereas there are many different forms of sleep apnea including obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and mixed sleep apnea. Snoring will only result in voluminous sounds that can happen while breathing in your sleep, and it may or may not be in conjunction with sleep apnea, and it does not signify stopped breathing. Sleep apnea does mean that a person has stopped breathing albeit temporarily.

Sleep Disturbances

Snoring and sleep apnea are also distinct from one another because sleep apnea may cause the patient to waken from his or her sleep before falling asleep again, and this sleep/waking/sleep cycle can continue even a hundred times each night. Snoring does not usually cause a person to wake from his or her sleep, and in the event a person does waken him or she can easily drop off to sleep again without further awakenings. So, whereas snoring can be ignored without much risk to the snorer, sleep apnea is something that, if left untreated, can cause harm to your life.

Snoring and Sleep Apnea

When loud snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of totally obstructed breathing, it is known as obstructive sleep apnea. More serious episodes last more than ten seconds each and occur more than seven times per hour. Apnea patients may experience 30 to 300 such events per night. These episodes can reduce blood oxygen levels, causing the heart to pump harder. The immediate effect of sleep apnea is that the snorer must sleep lightly and keep his muscles tense in order to keep airflow to the lungs. Because the snorer does not get a good rest, he may be sleepy during the day, which impairs job performance and makes him a hazardous driver or equipment operator. After many years with this disorder, elevated blood pressure and heart enlargement may occur.