There are little things that may seem normal so we don’t get worried about sleeping habits such as snoring. However, if’s actually worth checking if your snore is “normal” or a sign of something else.
So, can snoring kill you? Yes, snoring can kill or rather, the cause behind the snore is what can kill you. Snoring loudly every time you sleep is a major 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, that amount of time is already dangerous to our health.
This illness will attack for approximately 400 times every time we sleep at night. The continuous disruption in our breathing will eventually affect our heart and our brains.
Being unable to breathe makes your muscles unable to relax as well.
Since your body is so worked up despite the fact that it should be “sleeping”, this will put your entire system in a dysfunctional state. You won’t be able to get enough rest and you will wake up feeling tired.
Sleep apnea is also recognized as an ” accompanying illness”, meaning that it doesn’t come alone. It is usually caused by another illness or it will invite another illness within you.
Difficulty in breathing alone is already dangerous, what more about the other risks it can bring? Sleep apnea can make patients suffer slowly without them even knowing about it.
Most of the time, snoring is ignored and only deemed “annoying” by most people but only because they are not aware that it can be a sign of a threatening illness.
This is the reason why some people think people die from snoring, but in fact, it’s what causes the snoring that actually kills people.
If you snore loudly quite often, don’t panic immediately. Yes, it is a sign of sleep-related illnesses but snoring is truly normal especially if you are tired. Still, it’s important to check other symptoms to see if it will match.
So, do you snore a lot? Are you curious if it’s still normal? Read on to find out more about the signs of sleep apnea, what causes or what can cause it and how to cure and prevent sleep apnea and be free from snoring.
When can snoring be dangerous
When can snoring kill? If it is snoring due to sleep apnea, then you should know about the signs of sleep apnea to confirm if the snoring is normal or not.
One of the most common ways to identify sleep apnea is by conducting a “sleep study” wherein the patient will have to stay in a center where doctors and nurses would be observing their sleeping habits.
Not only the sleeping behavior but other factors that could be a sign of sleep apnea as well. If you’re not ready for a sleep study and you only know about the snoring, check the known sleep apnea symptoms here.
- Heavy snoring
- Snoring is completely normal if you go to sleep totally exhausted, but if you are snoring almost on a daily basis or every time you go to sleep, it is already worth checking.
- Gasping for air during sleep
- The feeling of drowning without knowing it and suddenly you’re out of air.
- Insomnia
- Having trouble going to sleep because you have breathing problems that you may not notice
- Hypersomnia
- Having trouble staying awake in the morning because you were unable to sleep well due to your sleep apnea
- Waking up with a headache
- Sleep apnea can disturb your body’s “charging” state. Since you can’t sleep well, your body will use energy for means that can help you breathe which may lead to headaches.
- Waking up with a dry mouth
- With sleep apnea, the person tends to snore and keep their mouth open when gasping for air which leads to a dried up mouth once we awaken.
- Decreased ability to focus
- Sleep apnea can give lack of sleep which will also result in difficulty to focus on anything
- Feeling uncomfortable
- Your lack of energy due to sleep apnea can make you feel uncomfortable and irritable without your knowledge
- Suddenly stop breathing during sleep
- Your housemates should notice this and tell you about it. Sleep apnea can disrupt breathing that may last for up to 10 seconds which is already risky.
There are three types of sleep apnea that you may be diagnosed with.
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- The most common sleep apnea that can be present in all ages. When the breathing is obstructed due to various factors, is it because of obstructive sleep apnea which may require surgery
- Central sleep apnea
- When your brain fails to send the proper signals to your body to command it to “breathe”, it is because of central sleep apnea
- Complex sleep apnea syndrome
- This is the combination of the first two sleep apneas and also poses higher risks than a normal obstructed sleep apnea.
- It may also be more difficult to treat this not knowing the major cause of the condition
How to treat sleep apnea snoring that can kill
Health is wealth. If you think you are positive with sleep apnea, the next step you should take is to verify it with health expert and see what are the possible reasons that caused in order to properly treat it.
See these existing treatments that can help you get rid of sleep apnea that may cause those loud, continuous snorings.
- 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).
- Over time, parents can adjust the brace using a special key to increase the amount of pressure for the teeth.
- Snoring may be rare for children, which is why if they do snore, then it may be a clear sign of sleep apnea.
- 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.
- It might take months to recover.
- CPAP Machine Treatment
- Works for any age. Stands for “Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device”
- The person diagnosed will have to use a mask connected to a machine that will force air to the obstructed airway from the oropharyngeal.
- The mask placed over the mouth or nose will blow air into the airway to help keep it open during sleep. Highly recommended and proven effective by a majority of sleep apnea patient.
- Surgical Airway Advancement
- Similar to the 2nd example. Bones of the upper and lower jaw will be repositioned in a way that will relieve airway obstruction.
What happens if you don’t cure the snoring
Once again, don’t ignore something that may feel off to you. If you think sleep apnea is being exaggerated and snoring won’t kill, let me tell you the risks of not curing it.
Honestly, there are a lot of people who ignore their medical health which is not good since conditions like sleep apnea do not go away by itself. If sleep apnea is not treated, there are a lot of risks. See the list below.
- Heart failure
- May lead to fatal conditions such as brain damages or even death
- Heart attack
- Can also be severely threatening
- Irregular heartbeat
- Worsens the ability to breathe
- Can trigger anxiety
- Stroke
- Can leave permanent damage
- May lead to paralysis
- Depression
- Not an easy condition to treat
- Diabetes
- Leaves you prone to more heart attacks
- High Blood Pressure
- Aside from your physical health, this can also affect your mental health and relationship with people around you including your work
- Increases ADHD
- Sleep apnea reduces your ability to focus which is what happens when you have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Having a lack of control to focus can lead to frustration
- Headaches
- You may wake up with a bad headache which will lead to other problems listed here
- Lack of daily energy
- As mentioned, your energy will be reduced since you are unable to sleep well.
- Seizures
- Sleep apnea patients are more prone to seizures during sleep compared to epilepsy patients without sleep apnea.
The thing is, sleep apnea, if left untreated or worsened by other factors, can lead to death. Its risks can be fatal and leave permanent damage or even death which is what raised our initial concern about snoring.
If diagnosed with sleep apnea, one must consider treating the problem as soon as possible in order to prevent any unwanted scenarios related to your health.
Related Questions
- Can sleep apnea kill a child?
Yes, sleep apnea can potentially kill a child. Sleep apnea causes difficulty in breathing and repetitive short pauses in heartbeats which can turn fatal if worst comes to worst.
Interrupted breathing and paused heartbeats can result in other medical problems that affect the heart and the brain the most and that is what sleep apnea does to our bodies, even children.
Obstructive sleep apnea makes children more prone to different illnesses mainly attacking the brain or heart.
Read: “Can Sleep Apnea Kill a Child?” for more.
- Can sleep apnea cause a stroke?
Yes, sleep apnea can lead to stroke if left untreated. It can also cause other irreversible health damage which is why sleep apnea must not be ignored even if it doesn’t seem dangerous.
According to studies, there is now a lot of evidence that proves sleep apnea has deep ties with cardiovascular risk factors which increases the possibility of a stroke.
There are also speculations that sleep apnea can be caused by a stroke which means it can be the other way around.
Read: “Can Sleep Apnea Cause a Stroke?”
