Loud snoring can be a sign that something is seriously wrong with your breathing during sleep. Snoring indicates that your airway is not fully open, and the distinctive sound of snoring comes from efforts to force air through the narrowed passageway. For an estimated four in 100 people, extremely loud snoring is the first indication of the potentially life-threatening disorder obstructive sleep apnea.

The sleep of normal children and adults is accompanied by relaxation of the muscles that stiffen and open the throat. This muscular relaxation leads to slight sleep-related narrowing of the throat that is of no importance for most people. In people with obstructive sleep apnea, the sleep-related narrowing is so great that breathing becomes difficult, as if they were breathing through a floppy, wet straw. In reaction, the brain increases the effort to breathe, causing brief periods of waking. This cycle can disturb sleep dozens to hundreds of times each night, but most of the awakenings are so brief they are not remembered.

People with obstructive sleep apnea may not get enough oxygen during sleep and probably don’t sleep soundly. This results in daytime sleepiness that affects work and activities. Obstructive sleep apnea can also put you at risk for high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, sleep specialists are able to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea and proper treatment can prevent or reverse the potentially life-threatening results.

SYMPTOMS

These problems usually appear slowly over many years. Sometimes, obstructive sleep apnea symptoms go unnoticed; family members or coworkers may be the first to recognize a pattern of excessive daytime sleepiness or changes in mood or behavior.

• Snoring so loud that it rivals a jackhammer and can be heard rooms away.
• A pattern of snoring interrupted by pauses, than gasps, reveals the sleeper’s breathing stops and restarts.
• Falling asleep at inappropriate times, such as at work, at the movies or while driving.
• Trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, irritability, depression, loss of interest in sex.
• Headaches or nausea upon awakening.
• Frequent nighttime urination or even bedwetting.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

If your sleep has been disturbed for more than a month and interferes with the way you feel or function during the day, see your health care professional or ask for a referral to the Evergreen Sleep Disorders Center.

Your medical history, a physical exam and some blood tests may help identify certain causes. Your bed partner and other household members may have useful information about your sleep, such as whether you snore loudly or sleep restlessly.

At the Evergreen Sleep Disorders Center, you will be asked to keep a sleep diary showing sleeping and waking patterns for a week or two. You’ll have a thorough physical and psychological examination, and may ask you to spend a night or two at the Center to monitor your sleep.

If you are diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, you may benefit from both general measures and specific treatments.

General Measures

• Normalize weight
• Avoid alcohol within four hours of bedtime
• Avoid sleeping pills
• Sleep lying on your side or stomach

Specific Treatments

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). This highly effective therapy involves wearing a small mask over the nose during sleep. The gentle pressure from the air compressor forces air through the nasal passages and into the throat, holding the throat opening and allowing normal sleep and breathing.
• Oral Appliances. Some patients are helped by devices that open the airway by bringing the jaw or tongue forward. The most common types are bite plates or mouth guards.
• Surgery. Physical problems like enlarged tonsils, nasal polyps or a deviated septum can be corrected with surgery.