Benign Snoring?

In a post on his blog today, a dentist Dr. Paavanj, discussed snoring and sleep apnea and its relationship to dentistry. In it Dr. Paavanj stated:

Can snoring be a sign of medical problems? If so, is there a particular type of snoring that signals the need to seek help?

A. Primary snoring has been reported in a few studies to have some link to hypertension, stroke and coronary artery disease.

However, there is a significant amount of debate about the health consequences of just snoring. The general consensus is that snoring is a benign condition. The intensity or loudness of the snoring has nothing to do with any health consequences.

While current thought may lead to controversy over whether snoring itself is a benign condition, there really shouldn't be but it takes redefining what snoring really is.

Obstructive sleep apnea is complete blockage of the airway in the pharyngeal (throat) area, snoring is partial obstruction and can be defined as obstructive hypopnea. This means there is, in snoring, a decreased amount of oxygen inspired with each breath which, in turn, can precipitate many of the same problems as apnea.

Since snoring can be a warning sign of sleep apnea and especially snoring accompanied by observed cessation of brathing, it's best to not treat any snoring as benign but to consider it as a wake up call (sorry for the pun) to visit a sleep physician or trained sleep medicine dentist for evaluation.

Snoring benign? Well maybe as far as the insurance companies are concerned but not as far as your health is concerned

Dr. Barsh