Feature

The American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) warns that snoring can be hazardous to your health. and urges Americans who snore or who know others who snore to consider whether their snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea.

Loud snoring is a common symptom of untreated sleep apnea, a potentially serious but treatable medical condition. Sleep apnea is most often identified by interruptions in breathing during sleep. Each time breathing stops, the brain signals those with sleep apnea to arouse briefly from sleep in order to resume breathing. Consequently, sleep is fragmented and of poor quality. People with untreated sleep apnea are generally not aware of the awakenings but are extremely sleepy during the day.

"It was my loud snoring that irritated my wife; only in search of peace, did I go to my doctor," Dale Snape, Chairman of the ASAA remembers. "I never imagined that I stopped breathing in my sleep more than 300 times during the night." Bedpartners are typically more aware of the sleep apnea as the loud snoring disturbs their sleep.

Safwan Badr, MD, President of the ASAA and a sleep specialist, says Dale's experience is typical: "Most people who have untreated sleep apnea don't even realize it, partly because, as a rule, sleep apnea has no sudden onset. As the disorder worsens gradually over time, people become accustomed to the sleepiness and do not recognize any physiological difference. Moreover, our society views snoring simply as an annoyance when in fact it can be hazardous to your health."

Consequences of untreated sleep apnea may include high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, and impotency. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle accidents. Risk factors for sleep apnea include being male, having a large neck, and being over the age of 40, but sleep apnea does occur in both sexes, in all body types, and in all age categories.

In addition to the loud snoring, other symptoms include falling asleep easily and sometimes inappropriately, feeling tired upon awakening, and morning headaches. A conservative estimate is that at least ten million Americans have unrecognized sleep apnea.

Americans who think they may have sleep apnea should discuss their symptoms with their physician or a sleep specialist. Once diagnosed, sleep apnea can be treated, and different treatment options exist.