Can Snoring Affect your Health?

by | | Sleep Disorders

Can Snoring Affect your Health?

Not only is snoring a nuisance for your bed partner, it can also do a lot of things to our health that not many people know about. What seems harmless should be concerning and let me tell you why.

So, can snoring affect your health? Yes, loud and / or constant snoring can affect your health in various ways. Snoring is typically bad and it is a common symptom of sleep apnea, a dangerous illness.

  • Snoring & sleep apnea causes:
    1. Death
      • Sleep apnea interrupts breathing that can affect the heart and the brain which can lead to sudden death during sleep.
    2. Difficult breathing
      • Sleep apnea can occur when there is an obstruction in the airway or the brain is unable to function well that helps the body breathe, causing difficult breathing.
    3. Discomfort to your bed partner
      • Since you will continue to snore, you will continue to make sleeping harder for your bed partner. This will eventually affect your overall relationship with people.
    4. Worsens other illnesses
      • Being unable to breathe well during sleep disrupts your entire body’s functionality and eventually attacking the other diseases a patient may already have.
    5. Heart problems
      • With sleep apnea, you are more prone to heart problems such as heart failure or heart attacks. This is due to the lack of blood oxygen levels.
    6. Irregular heartbeat
      • Due to the low blood oxygen levels or the air is unable to reach your heart, it can lead to an abnormal heartbeat or pauses in breathing during sleep.
    7. Stroke
      • Similar to heart problems
    8. Hearing problems
      • The vibration inside the ears caused by snoring can lead to hearing problems. Those who also sleep with snorers are prone to partial deafness or hearing loss.
    9. Throat issues
      • Snorers are prone to hoarseness or weakness in their voice. They are also prone to a dry mouth and a sore throat.
    10. Depression
      • Being unable to breathe well during sleep and get the proper rest can mess up your emotions or eventually lead to depression.
    11. Weight gain or loss
      • Sleep apnea messes up your body’s hormone production. You can end up gaining weight faster due to sleep apnea.
    12. Diabetes
      • Having sleep apnea disables the body’s ability to control the sugar level which can lead to diabetes.
    13. High Blood Pressure
      • Sleep apnea can potentially cause or worsen hypertension in people.
    14. Increases ADHD
      • Being sleep deprived decreases the person’s ability to focus, worsening conditions such as ADHD.
    15. Headaches
      • The lack of air that enters the brain can lead to other brain problems, but usually results in morning headaches.
    16. Daytime sleepiness
      • Difficulty breathing at night can lead to restless sleeps, making you feel the need to stay asleep even during the day because your body couldn’t rest well at night.
    17. Insomnia
      • Difficulty in breathing can lead to insomnia. Instead of waking up randomly at night, you will end up being unable to sleep.
    18. Seizures
      • Sleep apnea patients are more prone to seizures during sleep compared to epilepsy patients without sleep apnea.
    19. Irritability
      • When you are sleep deprived, you will unconsciously lose control of your emotional stability. You can become irritable or easily frustrated with sleep apnea.
    20. Poor memory
      • Sleep apnea causes sleep deprivation which may lower your brain’s performance as it affects the brain activity, causing poor memory in patients.
    21. Respiratory diseases
      • Sleep apnea is a respiratory disease that may cause other diseases or worsen them.
    22. Driving accidents
      • The lack of concentration and daytime sleepiness can lead to driving accidents when you have sleep apnea.

As you can see, there are a lot of things snoring and sleep apnea can do when it affects your health. So how can you cure your snoring and sleep apnea? Don’t worry, let me help you out with that as you read on.

How to avoid snoring from affecting your health

Knowing how bad snoring can affect your health, you should also know about how you can stop it. After all, it’s best to be healthy at all times.

  • 24 Ways How to Stop Snoring:
    1. Nasal Strips
      • Nasal strips are one of the earliest tools used to treat conditions like sleep apnea and its symptoms such as snoring.

        Nowadays, there are newly developed nasal strips that you can try.
    2. Oral Appliance
      • Oral pieces can help with sleep apnea and snoring, they are custom made to make sure it prevents the obstruction in the airways and counter sleep apnea and snoring.
    3. CPAP Treatment
      • The CPAP or “Continuous Positive Airway Pressure” is a commonly used treatment and proven to be effective for sleep apnea patients and stopping snoring.
    4. Avoid sedatives before going to sleep
      • Certain sedatives can cause sleep apnea. Consult a medical expert to determine what type of sedative may be the cause.
    5. Treat chronic allergies
      • Some allergies can trigger obstruction in your body’s airways and may cause you to have sleep apnea and cause you to snore.
    6. Try to avoid overworking yourself.
      • Sometimes, simply going to sleep while totally exhausted can make our muscles relax too much to the point that it can lead to sleep apnea and snoring.
    7. Avoid drinking liquor before bed.
      • Excessive liquor can also relax the muscles that will lead to sleep apnea and snoring. Limit alcohol consumption or avoid drinking too much before going to sleep.
    8. Sleep with your head elevated.
      • When the head is not properly elevated, the tongue can fall back and block the air passage, causing the tissues to vibrate and snore.

        You can also use an anti-snore pillow which will keep your head in proper place that can help stop sleep apnea. Sleeping in a chair or a recliner chair is also an option.
    9. Try to sleep on your sides.
      • Sleeping flat on our backs can cause the tongue to fall back and block the airways. It can also make the muscles relax and cause sleep apnea.

        You can read about: “How to prevent sleeping on my back” to learn how you can keep sleeping on your sides.
    10. Get plenty of exercises.
      • Lack of physical activity can cause our body’s functionality to drop.

        This means that we need the right amount of exercise to keep our body “awake” and functioning even as we sleep.
    11. Stop or limit smoking.
      • If your body inhales the smoke, it can cause the muscles inside to swell or become irritated, potentially blocking the airways and causing you to snore.

        Those who are also exposed to secondhand smoke can be prone to sleep apnea, so avoid getting near smoke as much as possible.
    12. Drink enough water.
      • When we are dehydrated, the throat becomes dry which makes the vibrating tissues sound louder and produces snoring or sleep apnea.
    13. Eat a healthy diet.
      • Our diet plays a huge part in our health! You should also avoid eating heavy before sleeping, if you go to sleep on a full stomach, your muscles may not work as it should.
    14. Sleep on time.
      • Not getting the right amount of sleep and not sleeping early can cause the body to become dysfunctional and have sleep apnea.
    15. Lose weight.
      • Being overweight or obesity will cause difficulty in breathing.

        The excess fat will get in the way of the air passages, causing tissues to vibrate and cause sleep apnea.
    16. Vocal exercise
      • Pronouncing words loud and clearly can help strengthen your throat. Try to repeat the vowels (A, E, I, O and, U) and say it out loud for three minutes a few times a day.
    17. Tongue exercise
      • Position the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth then slide your tongue backwards for three minutes each day.
    18. Mouth exercise
      • Close your mouth and purse your lips, like zipping your mouth. Hold on to that position for at least 30 seconds and repeat a few times a day.
    19. Jaw exercise
      • Open your mouth then move your jaw to the right and hold for a few seconds, 30 seconds at least. After 30 seconds, move to the left side the same way you did to the right. Repeat a few times.
    20. Throat exercise
      • Open your mouth and tighten the muscle at the back of your throat, do this in front of the mirror to see your uvula (or the hanging ball) moving up and down to see that it works.
    21. Singing exercise
      • Singing casually can increase your muscle control in the throat and soft palate, reducing snoring caused by muscles that are relaxed.
    22. Rapid Maxillary Expansion
      • For children with obstructive sleep apnea. This process places an expandable brace on the roof of the mouth that increases the width of the upper jaw (maxilla).
    23. Jaw Advancement Surgery
      • For teenagers and adults. This process will surgically break the jaw bones, moved forward and then fixed properly with screws and plates and will change the person’s facial structure or profile.
    24. Surgical Airway Advancement
      • Similar to the other example. Bones of the upper and lower jaw will be repositioned in a way that will relieve airway obstruction.

As you can see, some of these in the list include surgical operations. This is if you have sleep apnea that causes snoring.

Now, using medical equipment and simple lifestyle changes can possibly help you stop snoring and give you better sleeps at night.

What causes snoring that affects your health

To stop snoring, knowing what also causes it can help you out.

There are plenty of reasons why a person may snore but mainly, it’s when the person is experiencing difficulty in breathing.

When the body is unable to breathe properly, the surrounding tissues may vibrate which causes the sound called snoring.

This can happen because of chronic conditions or natural anatomy formation. It can be because of a narrow throat or such which can be fixed through surgeries.

If not, there are also other reasons why a person will snore. Check out this list to see if it may be applicable to your situation.

  1. Being overweight
    • Body fat can get in the way of the body’s ability to stretch its airways open making it harder to breathe which will cause snoring.
  2. Airway obstruction
    • Anything that can obstruct the airways will make breathing difficult and cause the tissues to vibrate and cause snoring.
  3. Sleeping position
    • Sleeping on your back may cause the tongue to fall back and the muscles to relax which can block the airways.
  4. Drinking liquor
    • Drinking excessive liquor especially before going to sleep will relax the muscles and create difficulty in breathing
  5. Smoking cigarettes
    • Being exposed to smoke can cause the muscles to swell, slowly blocking the airways and also irritating the lungs making it harder to breathe, causing a person to snore.
  6. Taking medications
    • Certain medications or sedatives such as sleeping pills will cause the muscles to relax and be unable to work as it should, making breathing difficult and cause snoring.
  7. Sleeping exhausted
    • Sometimes, going to bed overworked or completely exhausted can cause snoring since the body is too tired to help your breathing stay normal.
  8. Anatomical build
    • Your physical attributes can obstruct your airways and some of this can be hereditary.
  9. Age
    • As we age, our throat will become narrower which is beyond our control. However, proper sleep routine and a healthy, balanced diet can prevent snoring or sleep apnea.
  10. Stress
    • Physical stress can cause an obstruction in the airway due to muscle tension while mental stress can cause central sleep apnea.

Some of these cannot be prevented, but it’s still important that you know of it.

Related Questions

Is snoring a sign of health problems?

Yes, snoring is a sign of health problems if it’s loud and constant. If snoring persists, then it also means there’s a reason behind it.

It is usually a sign of breathing problems that may lead to heart problems and brain problems.

Can you die from snoring?

Yes, you can die from snoring or rather, the cause behind the snore is what can cause your death.

Snoring loudly and constantly is a sign of sleep apnea, an illness that can kill people in their sleep.

Sleep apnea interrupts our breathing for a few seconds up to two minutes and that amount of time is already dangerous to our health.