Snoring can also be life-threatening, so don’t take it lightly!

Three major reasons lead to snoring, beware of sleep apnea

Although snoring symptoms are common, the causes of snoring are different. The causes of snoring can be analyzed from three aspects: the first case is stenosis of the hypopharynx, which is the most common type of snoring. Because the patient will have swollen tonsils, leading to upper airway obstruction, especially when the patient is sleeping, the soft tissue will sink and cause upper airway obstruction, which will lead to hypoxia. In severe cases, it will cause sleep apnea. Obese patients should pay special attention to this situation.

The second situation is central hypoxia, which is mainly caused by the brain. Some patients also have congenital respiratory center hypoxia, and they will hold their breath for 20 seconds or less than a minute during sleep. This will lead to hypoxia and cause sleep apnea. The third situation is snoring caused by mixed reasons, the so-called mixed refers to stenosis of the hypopharynx and central hypoxia.

Sleep apnea may worsen cardiovascular disease and heart disease

Generally speaking, snoring is not harmful to the human body. What is life-threatening is the sleep apnea caused by snoring. Professor Zhao Ziwen introduced that the impact of sleep apnea on the human body is mainly reflected in two aspects: first, the hypoxia caused by obstruction of the hypopharynx. If the hypoxia lasts too long, it will cause high blood pressure and even difficult to control blood pressure. Long-term hypoxia can cause heart problems, and in severe cases, even sudden death. In addition, diabetes can be difficult to control due to sleep apnea. Another hazard is that people wake up due to difficulty breathing, which reduces sleep quality and makes it difficult to concentrate during the day. In the United States, patients with sleep apnea are much more likely to cause car accidents than those without them.

Simple snoring does not cause any harm, sleep apnea does not require surgery

How do you know if your snoring is life-threatening? The best way is to go to the hospital for a check-up and learn about your condition in a timely manner. Snoring patients can go to the hospital for examination through instruments, or have their breathing monitored through electroencephalogram or sleep monitoring. If simple snoring is diagnosed, you can check whether there is enlarged tonsils or pharynx. For patients with this type of snoring, they can be advised to lose weight, not drink alcohol, and no treatment measures are required.

However, if a patient is found to have symptoms of sleep apnea, Professor Zhao Ziwen suggests that patients with pharyngeal stenosis can choose surgery or be treated with a non-invasive ventilator. For obese patients, they will be advised to lose weight first.

Postscript : If you are not sure whether your snoring is life-threatening, it is best to go to the hospital for a check-up to see if you have sleep apnea, and then develop an appropriate treatment plan. Your health condition depends on your usual attention.