Which snoring sound is a precursor to sudden death

Snoring seems to be a common sleeping state. Many people snore when they fall asleep. It doesn’t matter if it affects other people’s sleep. The main thing is to see where the snoring comes from. People often find that frequent snoring can affect their physical health. Some may suffer from loss of appetite, some may experience an affected sex life, and more serious cases may lead to sudden death. So what kind of snoring should we pay attention to for sudden death? To understand why snoring is deadly, you first have to know where the snoring comes from.

Snoring can be caused by the following direct reasons:

1. Nasal causes: deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps, enlarged nasal conchae, congestion and hypertrophy of nasal mucosa, chronic rhinitis, etc.

2. Causes of the pharynx: enlarged tonsils and adenoids, enlarged uvula, enlarged and drooping soft palate, and enlarged tongue.

3. Congenital anatomical malformations: mandibular developmental malformations (such as micrognathia), mandibular retrognathia, etc.

4. Functional reasons: The airway is normal when awake during the day, but the muscle tension around the airway decreases during sleep. In addition, the root of the tongue falls back when lying on your back, causing airway narrowing and snoring.

Experts say that in addition to the above direct causes of snoring, there are other indirect causes of snoring:

1. Any factors that can cause airway narrowing in the nose, throat, etc. will cause snoring, such as congenital airway developmental abnormalities, deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps, thickening and congestion of nasal mucosa, tonsil hyperplasia and adenoid hyperplasia, mandibular malformation or retraction, uvula hypertrophy, drooping soft palate, tongue hypertrophy, etc.

2. Obesity. Obese patients have too much fat deposited in their necks, which is also one of the reasons for airway narrowing and snoring.

3. Sleeping posture. Some patients have no airway abnormalities during the day, but during sleep, the decreased tension in the muscles around the airway and the backward drop of the tongue when sleeping in the supine position can also cause airway narrowing and affect the smooth passage of airflow.

4. Unhealthy lifestyle habits. Drinking alcohol and taking sleeping pills such as Valium can also suppress breathing, aggravate snoring, and even induce sleep apnea. In addition, smoking can also cause upper respiratory tract inflammation and edema, and quitting smoking can reduce the risk of snoring.

5. Age. The occurrence of snoring is also related to age. Although children and adolescents snore, the rate is relatively low. The incidence of snoring increases in men after the age of 35 and in women after menopause, which is closely related to factors such as obesity and muscle dysfunction in the elderly.

6. Genetics. Snoring is also related to genetics, and we often see patients with familial snoring in our lives.

Which snoring sound is the most annoying?

When people are tired, their soft tissues relax more thoroughly; or if the pillow is not suitable, the airway may be twisted and not so smooth, which may cause snoring. But such snoring is normal. If you get enough rest and change your pillow, your airway will be unobstructed and the snoring will disappear. You can rest assured about this occasional snoring.

If it is pathological snoring - sleep apnea syndrome, then you should be alert. At this time, the airway is no longer just a "blocked" problem, but has been completely closed, and you are "suffocating".

If a person sleeps for 7 hours at night and his breathing stops more than 30 times during these 7 hours, and each pause lasts more than 10 seconds, he suffers from sleep apnea syndrome. However, not all snoring is caused by respiratory arrest. If you observe snoring carefully, you will find that some snoring has a short period of silence in the middle. This short period is the time when breathing stops.

It is estimated that 1 in 5 people who snore suffer from sleep apnea, but many people are unaware of it. If you snore 5 out of 7 days a week, it can be considered pathological and intervention should be considered.

Although snoring and sleep apnea are important criteria for doctors to diagnose this disease, some other important clinical manifestations are also the basis for doctors' diagnosis, such as: waking up at night due to suffocation, heart cramps, dry mouth when waking up, not being able to sleep well, daytime sleepiness, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, etc. By the way, people who don’t snore can also suffer from sleep apnea syndrome.

Who is more prone to apnea?

Unfortunately, Asians are more susceptible to this disease than Caucasians. Because compared with Caucasians, Asians have smaller airways in their noses, throats and mouths, and thinner "tubes" are always more likely to get blocked.

The elderly are also the main group of patients with sleep apnea syndrome. Regardless of gender, the older they are, the more their soft tissue tends to relax, so many elderly people snore very loudly.

In addition, the incidence rate in women increases significantly after menopause. Medical experts believe that this may be caused by hormonal factors. However, overall, men snore more than women.

Compared with people of normal weight, fat people are more likely to get this disease. This is easy to understand, because obese people have more fat and the volume of soft tissue in the neck increases, causing airway narrowing, which makes the airway more easily blocked during sleep. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the United States pointed out that more than half of the more than 12 million patients with sleep apnea syndrome in the United States are obese. Although obesity is an important factor that causes sleep apnea, very thin people may also suffer from this disease under special circumstances, such as some people with smaller jaws.

Is there any cure for snoring?

If you want to relieve snoring, losing weight is a very effective way. In addition, smoking and drinking can also aggravate snoring, so if you want to stop snoring, you should first quit smoking and drinking. Sleeping on your side is a good way to relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea, and it is also effective for people who simply snore. Because when lying on your back, gravity will cause the root of the tongue to fall back and the posterior pharyngeal wall to collapse, causing obstruction of the upper airway, while lying on your side can relatively reduce the occurrence of this situation.

Choosing a suitable pillow is also very important. A pillow that is too high can cause your airway to collapse. A pillow that is too low may cause the head to tilt back too much and the lower jaw to lift, causing the root of the tongue to fall back. A pillow that is too soft will leave your neck unsupported when you lie on your side, causing it to bend too far outward and causing airway obstruction. To sum up, a pillow with moderate height and medium to hardness is the best.

Muscle fatigue caused by maintaining a bad posture for a long time or repetitive movements is also a cause of cramps. In addition, if you do not warm up sufficiently before exercise, your muscles will not be able to adapt to sudden contraction or sudden temperature changes, which can also cause muscle cramps. As for medication and surgical treatment, the final decision should be made by a doctor after a careful examination. Never take any medication on your own.