Snoring is often considered to be nothing more than an annoyance. It’s laughed off. No big issue, nothing serious.
Right?
Maybe not. A growing medical consensus is starting to form, suggesting that snoring is a symptom of a serious condition which can pose a serious threats to a person’s health.
I’m referring to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It’s the cessation of breathing due to a blockage in the airway, which occurs in sufferers hundreds of times over a night’s sleep. This can ruin a night of sleep.
As a result, sufferers can then develop symptoms such as sleepiness, depression, issues with memory, and a number of cardiac conditions. These can often be attributed incorrectly to other causes.
Here’s a stat for you; according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine there are an estimated 20 Million Americans currently suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea, 90 percent of whom are undiagnosed. It’s serious enough that Dr. William Dement, the director of the Stanford Sleep Disorders and Research Center has called sleep disorders “arguably the number one health problem in the United States.”
Another stat; according to a survey carried out by the Sleep and Breathing Journal, 75 percent of physicians do not screen for OSA.
So many people are suffering because of undiagnosed OSA. What’s more, Obesity is a related risk factor. If you’re a man with a neck size of 17 inches plus, or a woman with a neck size of 15 inches plus, you are at risk.
We don’t want to be alarmist, about this, but there was a recent Yale study which concluded that a 5-year period of untreated OSA makes you 30 percent more likely to suffer a premature death.
The worst thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Diagnosis is easy, and simple cures like Mandibular Advancement Devices can be used to keep the airways clear as you sleep, which can alleviate all but the most severe cases of OSA.
So if you or someone you know has some of the symptoms mentioned in this article, don’t you owe it yourself, or to them, to take it seriously?
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