Do you snore at night? Not only can this very common health condition put a damper on your partner’s night of rest, it can also cause numerous medical problems for you. Here’s how snoring can affect your health.
What is Snoring?
Simply put, snoring is just extra noisy breathing while you sleep. It can sometimes be caused by nasal blockages, such as a cold or sinus infection. But it can also be a symptom of a greater health issue including bulky throat tissue or obesity.
What Health Conditions Can Snoring Cause?
Essentially, snoring itself doesn’t cause too many health issues other than an annoyed partner. The biggest issue is that the body typically doesn’t fully rest if you are snoring.
This means that despite being asleep, your actual quality of sleep might be poor due to snoring or a related condition. In turn, this makes it hard to thrive at work or during normal daytime hours. In fact, loss of sleep quality is the number one health complaint among diagnosed snorers.
Sleep Apnea Equipment Might Help the Problem
In some cases, snoring is a symptom of a larger health condition called sleep apnea. In this case, your positioning or other factor blocks your upper airway while you sleep.
This leads to your body working harder to pull air into your lungs, which can include shallow breathing or periods where you actually stop breathing at all. In this case, specialized sleep apnea equipment might be needed to ensure you’re getting the oxygen you need for a sound night of sleep.
Is snoring a problem for you? Try an over-the-counter remedy or alter your sleep positioning first. If it still continues to be a problem, it might be time to schedule an appointment with your doctor.
