Snoring is not only dangerous, it also makes you ugly

Audit expert: Wu Xinsheng

Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Gastroenterology, PLA 371 Hospital

People spend about one-third of their lives sleeping. Snoring is a very common phenomenon during sleep, and many people have long been accustomed to it.

In traditional concepts, snoring is considered a symbol of "eating well and sleeping soundly." However, snoring not only makes family and friends around you complain, but is also more likely to be a potential sign of illness.

1

How does snoring occur?

If you want to understand snoring, you should first understand the principle of snoring. Basic physics knowledge shows that the production of sound requires the vibration of objects. Of course, snoring is no exception.

Under normal circumstances, our respiratory tract is a channel that connects to the outside world and allows air to pass smoothly. When some parts of the respiratory tract are narrowed for some reason, the airflow is blocked, and vortices are generated to drive the surrounding soft tissues to vibrate, resulting in snoring.

Generally speaking, the airways of people who snore frequently are much narrower than those of ordinary people. During the day when awake, due to the compensatory contraction of the pharyngeal muscles, the airways of snorers can remain open without narrowing or obstruction.

But after falling asleep at night, the excitability of the sympathetic nerves decreases and the excitability of the parasympathetic nerves increases, causing the muscles to relax and the soft tissue of the pharynx to collapse, which leads to tissue blockage, narrowing of the airway, and snoring during breathing.

Source | Sohu

‍2

Why do we snore?

So what are the causes of airway narrowing?

In summary, it includes the following aspects:

Obesity: Obese people tend to have too much fat deposited between the soft tissues of the neck, which can easily cause narrowing in the throat, leading to poor airflow;

Source | ihypnus

Inflammation: In allergic rhinitis, there is more secretion in the nasopharynx, which leads to airway obstruction;

Abnormal soft tissue anatomy: The respiratory tract will become narrow in cases of hypertrophy of nasal concha, deviation of nasal septum, nasal polyps, excessively long and thick uvula, sagging soft palate, hypertrophy of tonsils and adenoids, hypertrophy of tongue, and posterior tongue root.

Source | ihypnus

Abnormal bone structure: In cases of mandibular retrusion, temporomandibular joint dysfunction and micrognathia, there is less space for soft tissue, so the airway will be relatively narrow;

Endocrine diseases: When metabolic disorders such as hypothyroidism and acromegaly occur, they may cause bone and soft tissue abnormalities and increased secretions, leading to airway narrowing.

Incorrect sleeping posture: People who sleep in a supine position and are used to using high pillows are more likely to have their respiratory soft tissues collapse, for example, the tongue root is more likely to fall back;

Excessive fatigue: When sleeping in a tired state, in order to absorb more oxygen and reduce fatigue, people will unconsciously open their mouths to breathe, and the soft tissues are relatively relaxed at this time, so the soft palate, uvula and other soft tissue parts will vibrate more;

Bad living habits: respiratory depression or respiratory inflammation, congestion and edema caused by smoking, drinking, etc.;

Family genetic factors.

Snoring is a signal of many diseases, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory diseases, etc.

3

Beware of “malignant” snoring

Although snoring is caused by many reasons, not every kind of snoring will cause serious consequences. Some people only snore in certain situations, such as when they are tired, drinking, or sleeping in an incorrect position. In this case, the snoring symptoms are "benign".

It should be noted that if snoring develops further and manifests as symptoms such as respiratory arrest, suffocation, memory loss, mood swings, drowsiness, and listlessness, we need to be alert to whether we have "malignant" snoring - "sleep apnea".

Source | Sina

Sleep apnea is defined as a cessation of airflow from the mouth or nose for 10 seconds or more during sleep.

There are three types of sleep apnea: central sleep apnea (CSA), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and mixed sleep apnea (MSA).

The diseases corresponding to this phenomenon are called central sleep apnea syndrome (CSAS), obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and mixed sleep apnea syndrome (MSAS).

Generally speaking, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is the most common clinically, and because people with sleep apnea often have symptoms of hypoventilation, it is often collectively referred to as sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS).

The adult prevalence of SAHS is about 3-4%, with more cases in men than in women, and the prevalence in women increases significantly after entering menopause.

In addition to the above symptoms that affect the quality of life, patients with SAHS may also suffer from hypoxemia, hypercapnia, sleep structure disorders and other pathological and physiological processes caused by insufficient oxygen exchange, leading to a series of subsequent pathological changes in the body. It may even further develop into complications such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, cerebrovascular accident, abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism, and severe cases may suffer sudden death.

Source | Sohu

In addition, due to the narrowness or obstruction of the upper respiratory tract, snorers often breathe through their mouths, which can easily lead to facial deformities over time.

Source | Sohu

4

How to relieve snoring?

From this point of view, snoring is a phenomenon that needs to be paid attention to and taken seriously by the public. It is not only to reduce the "noise", but also for your own health. In order to prevent snoring, we can do the following in our daily life:

Relax before going to bed, avoid being too busy or too emotional, avoid smoking, drinking or taking drugs that inhibit the respiratory center;

Choose a suitable pillow to fit the curve of the head and neck, so that the airway remains in the correct physiological and anatomical position; adopt a suitable sleeping position. Those who snore when lying on their back can adopt a side-lying position to improve the condition;

Source | Sohu

Obese people need to exercise more and actively lose weight;

Source | Phoenix News

Those with underlying diseases should follow doctor's advice and actively seek treatment;

If SAHS symptoms occur, you should seek medical attention immediately, conduct sleep apnea monitoring, comprehensively evaluate the condition and differentiate it from other diseases. If necessary, you can use non-invasive positive airway pressure ventilation therapy, oral appliance therapy, nasal expansion surgery, pharyngeal correction surgery, Han-UPPP surgery with the help of fiber laryngoscope, nasal endoscope, and surgical microscope.

Source | Sohu

Having said that, I believe everyone has a thorough understanding of snoring. Finally, I wish everyone a healthy body!

Source: Digital Beijing Science Center