Everyone snores occasionally.
It’s more common among men and overweight individuals. In many cases, it’s not something to worry about.
However, it tends to get worse over time. And for some, it can be an underlying symptom of a more serious health problem. Aside from being a nuisance to the people close to you, snoring also hurts your sleep quality, which can lead to more problems like emotional stress, daytime sleepiness, poor job performance, and decrease in overall quality of life.
Snoring happens when the airflow in the mouth and nose is obstructed. There are lots of things that can interfere with air flow.
- Blocked nasal airways (nasal and sinus problems)
- Poor muscle tone around the tongue and throat
- Bulky throat tissue
- Sleep position
- Use of alcohol and drugs
in the morning, fatigue from frequently
waking up at night, and headaches.
It actually becomes a chain of cause and effect, as sleep deprivation causes your throat muscles to relax too much, which leads to snoring.
If the snoring is loud and heavy, and accompanied by breathing interruptions such as gasping for air or choking during sleep or chest pain, then it may be an obstructive sleep apnea. In which case, you need to consult your physician.
Many times, snorers can wake themselves up from their loud noise. The increase in micro-awakenings can definitely affect sleep quality and hinder Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the physical and mental restorative stage of rest.
Sleeping next to a snorer is both difficult and frustrating. This often means both you and your partner aren’t getting quality sleep.
Moodiness, exhaustion, lack of concentration during the day, poor job performance, and waking up in a bad mood are just some of the immediate effects.
Snorers can take around an hour of sleep every night off of their partners.
of sleep deprivation?
As said earlier, snoring can be a symptom of an underlying health condition. And this can lead into a chain of effects to your health. Sleep deprivation leads to a range of negative effects in the body, which includes:
- Inability to focus – Sleep deprived individuals have altered normal function of attention. Their ability to focus on environmental sensory input is disrupted.
- Weakened immune system – Sleep is the body’s way of restoring and strengthening many of its functions. It’s important for making more cytokines to fight infection. This means sleep-deprived individuals are more likely to have weaker immune systems. They can get sick easily, take longer time to recover from sickness, and are at higher risk of chronic illness.
- Weight gain – Leptin and ghrelin are hormones in the body that controls the feeling of hunger or fullness. These hormones are kept in healthy levels through proper sleep. Also, when you’re sleep deprived, your body releases more insulin, which leads to an increase of fat storage (weight gain) and putting you at higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.
- Affects hormone production – Insufficient sleep affects the production of testosterone in men, which leads to many health problems. Among these health risks are diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, and more.
Are you or someone you know snoring? Make sure to seek help with your snoring problem at a clinic near you, so that it can be treated before it deprives you of more sleep and impacts overall quality of life.
