SNORING:

Almost half of adults snore. And the problem is worse with overweight persons.

What Makes the Snoring Noise?

Snoring occurs when there is a partial obstruction to the free flow of air through the mouth and nose. The sound occurs when loose structures in the throat, like the uvula and soft palate, vibrate as air passes over them.

Snoring can get worse when the muscles in the back of the throat are too relaxed either from drugs that induce sleep or alcohol consumption.

Medical

Snoring can be serious both socially and medically.

Snoring & Relationships

Snoring can disrupt marriages and cause sleepless nights for bed partners.

Snoring & Health

Medically, snoring can be the precursor of obstructive sleep apnea that has been linked to heart failure, high blood pressure and stroke. In its own right, snoring has been linked to Type II Diabetes. Sleep apnea usually interrupts loud snoring with a period of silence in which no air passes into the lungs. eventually the lack of oxygen and the increase carbon dioxide will awaken you forcing the airway to open with a loud gasp.

Heavy Snoring & Heart Disease

Heavy snorers are also more likely to suffer a heart attack while asleep than non-snorers. Blood pressure changes caused by snoring may lead to blockage of the coronary arteries and increase the risk of heart disease.

SLEEP APNEA:

Drowsy driving

A Canadian study reported that people with sleep apnea are twice as likely to be in a car crash. They reported that even people with fiarly mild sleep apnea had an increased risk of serious crashes.The truckers's associations are informing truck drivers of sleep apnea's seriousness.

Medically, sleep apnea is associated with:

• Hypertension
• Heart Failure
  
• Coronary occlusion
  
• High blood pressure
• Heart beat irregularity
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Erectile dysfunction
  
• Mental impairment
• Depression
• Obesity
  
• Increased risk of sudden cardiac death during sleep hours

Impact of sleep apnea on the economy

25 million American suffer from sleep apnea. Of these 200,000 each year are involved in Motor Vehicle Accidents because of sleepiness problems. 38,000 die each year from complications of sleep apnea (i.e. heart attack, stroke etc.)

Cost of health care for sleep apnea patients in the ER or ICU is in excess of $50,000 per patient. The total estimated cost in the United States alone is $ 1.9 billion.

Productivity ratio is at least 10% less in people who suffer from sleep apnea.
That is estimated to costs the US economy $ 75 billion each year

(Statistics are estimates by the American Sleep Apnea Association)

Although there is no dental cure for snoring or sleep apnea, an oral appliance can hold the airway in the back of the throat open during sleep and prevent collapse.

SELF- TEST:

Could you be at risk for sleep apnea?

Answer the 4 simple questions of the STOP Questionnaire*

S: Do you Snore loudly?
T: Do you often feel Tired, fatigued or sleepy during daytime?
O: Has anyone Observed you stop breathing during sleep?
P: Do you have or are you being treated for high blood Pressure?

If you answered "yes" to two or more of these questions, then you are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Please see your physician or a dentist trained in sleep medicine. When combined with other known risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea - high body mass index, age over 50, large neck circumference (>17 inches in men, >16 inches in women) and male gender - the sensitivity for predicting OSA was even greater.

*Anesthesiology. 2008 May;108(5):812-21. STOP questionnaire: a tool to screen patients for obstructive sleep apnea.
Chung F, Yegneswaran B, Liao P, Chung SA, Vairavanathan S, Islam S, Khajehdehi A, Shapiro CM.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
frances.chung@uhn.on.ca

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