Most men snore when sleeping. You need to pay attention to these dangerous signs for your partner.

Have you ever had this experience: your partner snores while he is sleeping soundly, and you think he is sleeping soundly, but he suddenly wakes up and his sleep is interrupted by his own snoring. You should pay attention, because he may be suffering from "obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome."

Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome is a common sleep disorder, which refers to the disappearance or significant weakening of respiratory airflow during sleep, leading to hypoxia or micro-arousal during sleep.

This disease is what we call "snoring".

So what are the symptoms of snoring?

The typical manifestation is loud and irregular snoring accompanied by intermittent breathing pauses, often alternating between snoring, airflow cessation, gasping, and snoring. The airflow cessation can last for tens of seconds, and is often accompanied by the patient's heavy gasping, waking up from suffocation, or loud snoring. The patient may experience restless sleep, breathlessness, and even repeated waking up from suffocation, and may have accompanying symptoms of dry mouth at night or in the morning.

What are the dangers of snoring that we are accustomed to?

This disease is very harmful. Due to reduced sleep efficiency, patients are prone to fatigue, daytime sleepiness, memory loss and other problems. Due to intermittent hypoxia at night, it can induce or aggravate cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. It is an important cause of sudden death at night and traffic accidents, and requires high attention.

It is specifically manifested in the following aspects:

1. Affecting mental and work status: If you snore frequently, it is likely to lead to poor mental state, and you may also experience symptoms of drowsiness[3] and fatigue, and may also cause memory loss.

2. Sleep apnea: Snoring may cause sleep apnea symptoms, and may also cause the patient's body to be in a state of low oxygen for a long time, which may also cause hypoxemia.

3. Self-regulation is affected: If symptoms of decreased self-regulation function appear, it may also affect the physical condition and cause respiratory and endocrine diseases.

We all live under the same blue sky, but who is more likely to snore?

1. People with congenital anatomical or functional abnormalities: If the mandible is congenitally retracted or deformed, it will affect normal breathing and cause snoring during sleep. In addition, some people will experience weakened muscle tension around the airway after sleeping at night, and the root of the tongue may fall back when lying on the back, which will narrow the airway and cause snoring during sleep.

2. People with nasopharyngeal diseases: If you suffer from nasopharyngeal diseases such as nasal polyps, hypertrophic nasal conchae, deviated nasal septum, hypertrophic adenoids, etc., the airway may become narrow, causing the airflow to impact the edge of the pharyngeal mucosa during sleep, causing snoring;

3. People who are too obese[1]: If you are too obese, fat may accumulate in your neck. Excessive fat accumulation can affect your respiratory tract, causing it to become narrow and leading to snoring during sleep.

4. People who smoke and drink frequently: Frequent smoking in daily life will increase the chance of respiratory inflammation, and inflammatory stimulation will lead to respiratory edema and airway stenosis. Frequent drinking may cause normal breathing inhibition after drunkenness and aggravate snoring.

5. People who are overworked: Being overworked for a long time will cause a decrease in muscle tension, causing the muscles around the airway to collapse, causing airway narrowing, and leading to snoring while sleeping.

Now that we have a basic understanding of snoring, what should we do if we find ourselves experiencing snoring symptoms?

1. Change your sleeping position

Sleeping flat on your back may cause the soft palate to sag, resulting in airway obstruction and affecting the entry of air, so patients with snoring should try to sleep in a side-lying position, such as the left or right side, because resting in a side-lying position can promote smooth breathing and relieve snoring.

2. Control your weight in time

The factors that cause snoring are quite complex. 20% of patients are caused by obesity. If you want to treat snoring during this period, you must first lose weight.

3. Choose the right pillow

If the patient chooses an inappropriate pillow when sleeping, it will hinder the respiratory function and cause uneven breathing, which will cause snoring. At this time, the patient can choose a suitable pillow, not too high or too low.

4. Learn to relax before going to bed

After a day of work, the body is tired. If you are tired and tense before going to bed, you will snore during sleep. It is recommended that patients take a hot bath or soak their feet to relax before going to bed.

However, if you find yourself snoring for a long time and are often awakened by snoring, it is recommended that you seek medical attention and receive targeted treatment.

1. Non-invasive ventilator treatment for obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

The patient may need a machine to help keep his airway open while he sleeps.

Surgery is the main treatment for obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome in children, and surgical methods include removing tonsils or adenoids.

In adults, if there is an obvious anatomical problem, surgery can be performed to widen the airway, thereby effectively treating the patient. The specific surgical method varies depending on the location of the obstruction and narrowing. The most commonly used procedure is uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.

2. Jaw deformity

In cases of mandibular misalignment or abnormal mandibular development caused by long-term mouth breathing in children, dentists can use orthodontic treatment to reduce snoring and wear appropriate braces to improve upper airway ventilation [2].

3. Nasal congestion

Treat the primary disease that causes nasal congestion, such as colds and allergic rhinitis. You can try over-the-counter medications to relieve nasal congestion and clear the nasal passages, such as using nasal sprays such as decongestants and corticosteroids to relieve nasal congestion. Be careful to avoid overdose.

4. Nasal septum deviation, nasal polyps, nasal concha hypertrophy

Through nasal surgeries such as nasal septum deviation correction and nasal polypectomy, the abnormal nasal structure can be corrected and the nasal ventilation function can be improved.

With the above scientific knowledge about snoring, we should pay attention to snoring, but there is no need to be overly anxious. We should carry out corresponding treatment according to our own situation.

References:

[1] Zhang Run, Wang Maoyun, Wang Yiwei, et al. Effects of obesity and sleeping position on patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome [J]. Chinese Journal of General Practice, 2017, 20(11): 1294-1299. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1007-9572.2017.01.y04.

[2] Effects of mandibular advancement appliance on plasma ET-1, AngⅡ levels and blood pressure in patients with OSAHS[J]. Zhang Shilong; Qiao Xing; Kang Wenjing; Liu Chunyan; Liu Ye; Yang Xiuchun; Lu Haiyan. Beijing Journal of Stomatology, 2022(05)

[3] The moderating effect of psychological resilience on daytime sleepiness and depression in patients with obstructive sleep apnea[J]. Zhao Dongfang; Zhao Yiran; Zhang Liqiang; Wang Jianli; Huang Yongwei; Hu Zixuan; Wu Chao. Nursing Research, 2022(08)

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Xu Lang Popular Science Creator

Reviewer: Peng Zhiping, Director of the Information Science Department of the China Sleep Research Society