Whether men or women, we all snore! Few snore occasionally, and few frequently. Few people know about their snoring, and few don’t even have the faintest idea. While snoring is a condition and not a disease, it is not harmful if we snore, but we need to know “when to start fixing it to prevent damage to our bodies”. That’s precisely why we need to know the difference between snoring and sleep apnea.
Snoring and sleep apnea are two different conditions, but they often go hand-in-hand.
Let’s understand more.
Snoring refers to making whistling, snorting, or rumbling sounds while asleep. It can happen when air cannot easily flow while breathing due to obstruction in the mouth, nose, or throat. There are several reasons behind the blockage of airways, including;
1)Low muscle tone: Weak muscles in the throat and tongue can cause them to relax while sleeping, which can narrow the airway and lead to snoring. Muscle weakness could be due to ageing, excessive weight, excessive neck fat, consumption of alcohol, certain medications, etc.
Corrective steps: Change your diet and exercise routine to lose some weight. The way exercise helps to tone muscles, facial exercises help to tone muscles of the throat, which reduces snoring. Include facial yoga, breathing exercises and pranayama for maximum results.
2)Congestion: Nasal congestion due to cold, allergies, adenoid, tonsillitis, or chronic respiratory ailment can make you snore.
Corrective steps: Avoid a diet that can increase mucus to improve respiratory health. Regular steam inhalation, visiting a salt room or sauna room, clearing a nasal path by jal neti, castor oil massage on the chest, acupressure, acupuncture, etc., help reduce congestion.
3)Deviated septum: A deviated septum can also block the airway and increase the risk of respiratory infections, congestion, etc.
Corrective steps: Nasal strips might help. Check with your doctor for medications to reduce infections and congestion.
4)Lifestyle factors: Smoking may make you snore more. According to one study, the risk of snoring is twice as high in smokers as in non-smokers. Consumption of alcohol can make your muscles excessively relaxed, which can increase snoring. Similarly, excessive stress and indiscipline in sleep can also lead to snoring.
Corrective steps:
- Stop smoking.
- Consume alcohol in moderation and try to avoid consuming alcohol late in the night.
- Try to maintain discipline in sleep and work on your stress.
- Meditation, writing a journal, and following a sleep routine will help.
- Take a walk after dinner to improve blood circulation.
- Consume enough water in the daytime to keep your body hydrated.
However, it is still unclear: “How is snoring connected to sleep apnea, and why do we need to fix it?”
Snoring and sleep apnea are closely connected. Anything obstructing the air pathway can make you snore and increase the chances of sleep apnea. Let’s understand more about sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a condition in which people frequently stop breathing for a few seconds while asleep. They might stop breathing for 20 to 30 seconds before breathing starts again. This cycle repeats numerous times throughout the night, depriving their bodies of enough oxygen. It must be diagnosed at the earliest and treated as it can seriously damage the body and increase the risk of chronic ailments like heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.
Classic symptoms of sleep apnea
1)Obstruction in the nasal pathway: If you have frequent nasal congestion due to the abovementioned factors, chances are higher that you might have sleep apnea.
2)Snoring: Loud snoring is a primary symptom of sleep apnea. It is a sign that your airpath might be obstructed, which increases the risk of sleep apnea.
3)Waking up during the night: Since breathing is erratic, people keep on tossing, turning, and waking up during the night, gasping for air. They also feel thirsty and wake up to drink water.
4)Constantly tired: Many people don’t remember that they keep waking up at night gasping for air, and they miss that they might have sleep apnea. If you are getting a whole night of sleep but still feel tired and irritated, lack concentration at work, nodding off while sitting idle or watching T.V., etc., check this with your doctor for sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is hard to diagnose. It first hampers sleep quality, and the body starts to show symptoms. It is best to begin taking corrective steps when you notice snoring or disturbance in sleep to avoid falling into chronic ailments.
P.S. Treat your condition to stop snoring. Please pay attention to babies when they snore. It could be a sign of adenoids or tonsillitis.