Snoring is a symptom caused by sleep apnea,
snoring is a disease after all!
Definitions / Symptoms
What is snoring and sleep apnea?
Snoring is a breathing noise caused by vibrations during sleep as the air flow has narrowed in the
surrounding structures such as the spine (uvula), tongue, roof of mouth, and larynx.
Sleep apnea is not limited to narrowing the airway,
but also completely blocking it causing respiratory standstill.
Sleep apnea causes daytime sleepiness, heart disease, and could lead to a stroke.
Symptoms of snoring and sleep apnea
Snoring and Sleep apnea are serious life-threatening diseases so even minor symptoms should not be ignored
and you must undergo testing and receive consultation at a specialized hospital.
Loud snoring
When you wake up from suffocation or blockage
Heavy feeling and headache after waking up in the morning
When you go to urinate frequently at night
When breathing stops during sleep and restarts repeatedly
When it is hard to concentrate and easily irritated or depressed
When you sleep excessively during the day or easily fall asleep
Severe sleep apnea
(30 or more sleep disturbances per hour)
Treatment before/after
The key to the treatment is expanding the airway!
-
Normal sleep
Normal sleep is defined as the
state when airflow through airways is
not congested and clear!
The state when there is
no snoring/sleep apnea -
Snoring/Sleep Apnea
Blocked airway during sleep
Narrowed airway
The Airflow Obstruction
Shivering uvula and roof of mouth
(the soft palate) within a narrow airway.Occurrence of Snoring/Sleep apnea
At this point, finding out the cause that is narrowing the airway and securing
the space through surgery is the key for the treatment.