Who likes to be called names and hearing complaints from someone on your snoring habits?
But you need to know if it becomes excess, it indicates towards health problems. Sleep apnea develops when the airway collapses partially or completely while sleeping because of medical conditions.
Snoring indicates obstacles in breathing. When accumulation of excess fat is formed around stomach, the lungs don’t get enough space to expand while inhaling. In return this leads to obstacles in the breathing process.
There are quite a lot of myths about snoring and first of all we need to know them first.
1. Everyone snores and so, this is common.
It’s not normal. Snoring doesn’t mean it’s to disturb others but it points towards a health problem. The person struggles to breath. It’s connected to hypertension or sleep apnea. Sleep apnea people have grey cells in brain due to oxygen deprivation. With time, it increases the risk of heart disease. It also affects growth hormone secretion which is linked to obesity.
2. Snoring affects only snorer’s health.
It affects the snorer’s health but it also affects the health of the person lying next to the snorer. The person has chances to get BP and fragmented sleep.
3. Person snores from nose. So, unclogging nose may help.
A stuffy nose can aggravate snoring and sleep apnea but it’s not the reason. In most cases, small jaw and falling back tongue results in snoring.
4. You think you don’t snore or have slap apnea.
Never ignore when someone tells your snoring disturbs their sleep. Few snore excessively and suffer from sleep apnea but they don’t feel like doing it. It in fact may result in heart stroke.
5. Losing weight cures sleep apnea.
It’s worth a try but generally it’s difficult to lose weight loss when you have sleep apnea since poor sleep encourages weight gain by increasing appetite. Proper sleep helps in weight loss.
6. Obesity, depression, hypertension etc. have nothing to do with amount and quality of sleep.
Insufficient sleep is related to various diseases. BP varies during sleep cycle. Many heart diseases have reported to be due to sleep apnea. It also leads to ability to use insulin and as a result, diabetes attacks. Sleep apnea lowers metabolism and increases Cortisol hormone level resulting in increased appetite and decreases the ability to burn calories.
7. Day time sleepiness means you are not getting enough night sleep.
Even after a long night sleep, you still feel sleepy in the day time. This signals sleep disorder or medical problem. You need to visit a good doctor for this.
8. Just an hour less sleep than required won’t affect.
This may not show you any difference making you sleepy during the day time but it slowly affects your thinking ability and ability to respond quickly.
This affects heart health and energy and fighting ability with infections. Sometimes, it also results in road accidents. Sleeping less than 6 hours a day can affect your health in many ways.
9. Sleep apnea attacks only older and obese men with big necks.
Though the above statement is true but it’s also true that thin women who don’t snore also suffer from sleep apnea. It results in jaw narrowing and then obesity and many more health problems.
10. There’s no treatment for snoring.
Who says there’s no treatment for it? In fact there are many options. They are rather drastic, may require surgery or medicines. But before going for any kind of treatment, first visit a sleep specialist for right medication.
11. Extra sleep cures problems with daytime fatigue.
Both quantity and quality of sleep are important. Some sleep 8 – 9 hours a day and don’t feel well since the sleep quality is poor. Sleeping extra time may not solve this problem but it requires changes in behavior and therapies.
12. Insomnia is characterized by difficulty in falling asleep only.
Not only has this single reasoned, there are four symptoms of insomnia.
· Difficulty in sleeping
· Waking up early and not getting sleep early
· Waking up frequently in the middle of the night
· Waking up tired and not fresh
Sleep disorder or other medical or psychological issues are also symptoms of insomnia.