Snoring—Beyond the Noise
You pull your pillow against your ears and try to drown out the cacophony of sounds emanating from the person in the bed next to you. Too bad you weren’t the one to fall asleep first this night!
Snoring often send spouses off to separate bedrooms, not because they don’t want to share the same bed any longer—but because one partner is losing some serious sleep, while the other obliviously snores and snorts the whole night through.
For many snorers, the loss of their bed buddy doesn’t begin to compare to the health losses they are racking up for themselves. While not all snoring events are harmful to the snorer, the fact is, when they’re accompanied by repetitive halted breathing throughout the night, they might very well be indicative of a serious disorder known as sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea creates a condition known as oxidative stress within your body. The periodic lack of oxygen your brain and body endure when you repetitively stop breathing while sleeping significantly increases your risk of heart disease (20x greater), motor vehicle accidents (15x greater), stroke (10x greater), dementia, sudden death, and leads to an overall decrease in your life span.
Evaluation for sleep apnea is best performed in a reputable sleep center, by a physician who is a board-certified Sleep Specialist. No take home devices should be employed, thank you—they are wholly inadequate. If it’s determined that you do, indeed, have sleep apnea, please follow through with your doctor’s recommendations. The quality and quantity of your life is at stake!