Why is “snoring” important?
Why is snoring important? It means you sleep well. Or is it just the sound of someone breathing while sleeping? Or is there something more complicated?
Most problems are snoring. The patient’s wife or husband will take the patient to the doctor. Or the patient himself goes to the doctor. Because neighbors complained about loud snoring, but when I went to see the doctor, in addition to asking about the loudness of the snoring, The doctor will ask about many other symptoms, including fatigue. Unusual drowsiness. Other symptoms that occur during sleep, such as frequently waking up to urinate in the middle of the night? Waking up in the middle of the night, having nightmares, asking about various medical conditions. From high blood pressure, heart disease, brain disease, eye disease, ear disease, and many more questions.
Even though we went to the doctor with the problem of snoring. But the doctor asked many other questions because the doctor had to see if the patient might also have obstructive sleep apnea. Due to sleep apnea It has many negative effects on health. Worse, it may also result in patients with severe symptoms dying before their time.
At this point, there may still be doubts. Do all snorers have sleep apnea? I would like to take this opportunity to provide information here. So that those who are close to the snoring person can go and observe tonight that What kind of snoring behavior does the person sleeping next to me have? And how likely is each type to have more or less breathing problems?
The first type I call “classic snoring” is when you fall asleep immediately. Whether sideways or face up The sound of snoring will be loud immediately. Plus, there are many different sounds of snoring. There may be a short screeching or crackling sound followed by a moment of silence (sometimes only 10 seconds or as long as a minute), followed by a loud snoring sound. with a set of rapid breaths following. Then the snoring sound became quiet again, alternating continuously in a cycle. This time, observe when the snoring sound was quiet to see that The moment of silence was actually due to the fact that there was no breath passing in and out of the nose and mouth, even though at that time the chest and stomach were still heaving. But it looked like he was breathing heavily. It’s like the throat is squeezed or blocked. This can tell you that there is definitely apnea, and it is severe.
The second type is also severe. I like to sit in a chair or sleep in the car. Even in the sitting position, he still snores loudly and clearly. Even if you don’t see the classic look like this, He definitely has sleep apnea. This is what I call “sitting and still snoring.”
The third type has classic snoring characteristics only in the supine position. The variation in the sound of snoring is usually not great. But there are periods of loud snoring alternating with quiet periods as well. But sometimes the periods when breathing stops may come less than 10 times in an hour. When lying on one side, breathing may seem comfortable, with no sound of snoring at all. Or there is some faint snoring and a rhythmic sound that is consistent with breathing, better than lying on your back. I call this “Snoring when supine” This group will have apnea in the supine position. In the sideways position, there will be some breathing pauses, but less or none at all.
The fourth type: The snoring sound is faint and regular from time to time. It happens during certain times of the night, but there are times when breathing appears to stop breathing, which is noticeable or not noticeable at all. It depends on how tired you are that day. Those of us nearby may think to ourselves, “Today you seem tired” like that, not to the point of frightening the people next to you, so it’s called “Today”. “Sleep snoring” snores like this if there are no other accompanying symptoms. The doctor saw that there were no risk factors. It’s not too much of a concern.
The last type, I would like to call “hidden snoring”, is usually a group of patients who are older and have less muscle strength. All flesh sags under the force of gravity. These people are asleep. Your breathing will also be shallow. Your snoring usually isn’t very loud. You may stop breathing because your jaw drops. The tongue can slacken and become blocked in gaps as well, sometimes we can’t see it at all. These people may have (secretly have) sleep apnea. While snoring only faintly or not snoring at all In this way, the children and grandchildren must look good. When you sleep, do you have “hidden snoring” or not? Especially if during the day you are unusually tired and sleepy. or have brain disease or heart disease as well You have to look carefully.
At this point, you can see the picture more clearly. What are the ways in which snoring and stopping the breathing of someone close to you can occur? However, the above snoring characteristics It is not yet accurate and accurate enough to be used as a standard for disease diagnosis. Doctors who examine patients need to know exactly what Does the person who snores have sleep apnea? And how severe is it? By checking sleep conditions (polysomnography) which the results show that How many times per hour does the patient stop breathing? How long does each time average? How much oxygen has dropped? Both in the supine and side-lying positions. And what is the brain’s sleeping state like? Do you have an irregular heartbeat or not? etc. after knowing the test results. The doctor will then plan treatment together with the patient according to standard guidelines.
Don’t forget. Tonight, try observing those close to you to see if they are snoring, whether they have stopped breathing or not. If you have…don’t forget to invite you to consult your doctor.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Sitthep Thanakitcharu
Special Lecturer, Department of Internal Medicine
Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University
2024-03-15 03:41:10
#snoring #important
