The truth of the matter is that there is snoring and then there is dangerous snoring. Sure, there is the light, annoying snoring that may make you want to shove a sock in your partner’s mouth, but then there’s the snoring that is indicative of obstructive sleep apnea. You could look at snoring like the body’s natural alarm system – an alarm system that may have you sleeping on the couch. So, in an effort to bring awareness to dangerous snoring and its connection to sleep apnea, the American Sleep Association has officially made March 24th ‘Stop Snoring Day.’
Indeed, you may not get the day off from work on ‘Stop Snoring Day,’ but it is a good time to think about snoring and what it may mean to your health. If you have a partner that snores, it is a good day to think about that person’s health. According to statistics, nearly half of the adult population snores. Imagine that. However, a much smaller percentage – about four to ten percent of adults – has the kind of snoring that could literally be life threatening. Many people don’t realize that snoring could actually be fatal…until it’s too late.
Usually, air is supposed to pass through our respiratory system without any obstructions. If there is anything in the way, it can become a major problem. When you have sleep apnea, you essentially have excess soft tissues in your breathing passageways – usually around the tongue, uvula (that dangly thing in the back of your mouth), and lateral pharyngeal walls. When you fall asleep, this part of your respiratory system naturally relaxes. However, with excess soft tissues, your throat can relax a little too much, thus causing resistance, which results in the sound we all know, and don’t love, as snoring.
This resistance can also cause moments of breathlessness. You can think of sleep apnea as the masked marauder and snoring as his sidekick that always makes a little too much noise when sneaking around. On Stop Snoring Day, the American Sleep Association urges individuals to think about some of the risk factors that may make you a good candidate for a dangerous snorer. For instance, if you are overweight, are older in age, or consume alcohol regularly, there is a higher likelihood that you have dangerous snoring and that you may suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.
At the end of the day, instead of getting the day off work on Stop Snoring Day, it may be time to get to the bottom of your obstructive sleep apnea. If you aren’t going to do it for yourself, do it for the people you love and care about. Did you know that CPAP may actually save your marriage? If you don’t want to sleep on the couch any longer and if you want to wake up feeling more like your young, robust self, it may be time to get serious about your obstructive sleep apnea. In the end, CPAP is a simple adjustment to a life you could be drastically shortening without it.
