Is it Just Snoring, or is it Sleep Apnea?
Snoring is a common condition that can affect anyone. Snoring is caused by a partially closed upper airway (the nose and throat).
Your neck muscles relax during sleep, but sometimes they relax so much that the upper airway partly closes and becomes too narrow for enough air to travel through to the lungs. As long as this blockage does not cause your blood oxygen level to drop this does not signal a problem.
When your upper airway closes causing your oxygen level to drop this means that a person isn’t taking in enough oxygen for the body to perform its important functions. The brain then sends a signal to the body to wake up to get the oxygen it needs, likely resulting in the person waking up throughout the night without even realizing it. This is called Sleep Apnea.
People with Sleep Apnea stop breathing repeatedly during the night, sometimes hundreds of times. Sleep Apnea can affect your health increasing the chance of having high blood pressure and even heart attack and stroke. It can lead to increasing your risk of having diabetes and put you at risk for work related accidents.