Snoring

Recent research published in the March, 2008 issue of the "Journal Sleep" shows there is a strong link between heavy snoring with breathing pauses and heart disease and strokes.

Hungarian scientists did interviews with 12.643 patients. According to the results, loud snorers had 40 % greater risk of having hypertension, 34 % greater risk of having a heart attack and 67% greater risk of having a stroke, compared with people who do not snore, after statistical adjustment for sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, level of education, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Quiet snoring was associated only with an increased risk for hypertension in women.

"Our findings suggest that heavy snoring with breathing pauses carries a significantly increased risk for cardiovascular disease and is close to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on the spectrum of sleep disordered breathing, therefore this simple question may identify high risk individuals whom may benefit from a sleep study," said Istvaan Mucsi, MD, PhD, of Semelweis University and Humber River Regional Hospital and Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto in Canada, co-author of the study.

Snoring is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound, due to obstructed airmovement during breathing while you are sleeping. The sound may be soft or loud and unpleasant. The structures are usually the uvula and soft palate. The irregular airflow is caused by a partially blockage, due to causes including:

• Fat gathering around the throat
• Throat weakness causing the throat to close when sleep
• Miss-positioned jaw, caused by tension in muscles
• Obstruction in the nasal passage way

About one half of people who snore loudly have developed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Sleep apnea happens when the tissue in the back of the throat collapses to block the entire airway. This keeps air from getting in to the lungs. It occurs because the muscles inside the throat relax too much when you sleep. Gravity then causes the tongue to fall back and block your airway passage. It can happen a few times a night or several hundred times during night.

Your light snoring may not disrupt your general sleep quality, but most people with heavy snoring and sleep apnea are sleepy during the day.

We all snore, at some stage in our lives and while it is more common in people who are overweight it is estimated that about 40% of adult males and 25% of adult females are habitual snorers. Other studies indicate as many as 50% of people in some demographics are snoring.

Both men and women are more likely to snore as they age. Men, however, become less likely to snore after the age of 70. Snoring has also been shown to increase during pregnancy as well as snoring appears to run in families. Your risk of snoring may decrease if you avoid drinking alcohol, stop smoking, lose weight and stop using muscle relaxers. Snoring is also related to allergens.

Some of the more negative aspects for snoring include lack of focus, daytime drowsiness due to interrupted sleep a tonight, low libido and psychological damage to the person's psyche due to the social embarrassment of the malady. Almost an immediate cure for snoring is simply try out some of the clinically tested snore remedies. These cures are often simple and easy to use.

Article Source: http://babyboomerarticles.com

Renee Moller writes articles on many sleep disorder related topics including snoring and sleep apnea and snore treatment.

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