Many people have a lot of misconception about snoring and sleep apnoea. Some even use these terms interchangeably. But it reality snoring and sleep apnoea are two different conditions. We spoke to Dr Dillon Dsouza, a Mumbai based Consultant ENT and Head and Neck surgeon Snoring and Sleep Apnoea attached to Jaslok Hospital and Desa hospital to clear the doubts about the two conditions. In this article, he elaborates about these two distinct conditions.
Snoring and sleep apnoea are not the same.
Snoring is a condition where there is some obstruction in the nose, mouth, throat or lungs that blocks breathing while sleeping producing a soft or loud and unpleasant sound. It is a sign or first alarm of OSA (obstructive sleep apnoea) whereas sleep apnoea is a condition where there are one or more pauses in breathing while you sleep. Pauses may last a few seconds to minutes and as many as 30 times an hour. Breathing usually restarts with a loud snort or choking sound. Sleep apnoea may be obstructive, central or a combination called complex sleep apnoea. However, both causes destructive sleep patterns.
There are few physiological causes that lead to snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea
If the obstruction is in the nose it could be due to a crooked nose bone or polyps. Even weaker throat muscles, loose or tight jaw, fat in the neck, thick tongue, the loose low roof of the mouth, or tongue falling back while sleeping could be some of the causes. Relaxants like alcohol or some medicines are known as secondary causes.
Fragmented sleep at night due to snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea can affect one in multiple ways
Medically it increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, diabetes, heart failure, irregular heartbeats, and makes it difficult to drive and can lead to road accidents. Psychosocially it could be a reason for unexplained irritability, poor concentration and create disturbance in intrapersonal relationships.
Snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea manifests in adult and children differently
In adults it represents as loud chronic snoring almost every night, with episodes of choking, snorting or gasping during sleep; pauses in breathing, waking up often feeling out of breath, daytime sleepiness and tiredness, waking up with a dry mouth, going to bathroom often at night, forgetfulness and decreased concentration, morning headaches, impotence in men. In children, it represents as loud snoring, sleeping in strange positions, bedwetting, heavy sweating at night or night tremors.
There are some risk factors that can indicate the problem early
Being overweight, male, over 50, smoker, high blood pressure, alcoholic, or thick neck collar size over 40 cm. Crooked nose bones, large tonsils, flat chin, allergies and nasal polyps. If you have any of these classic symptoms or know anyone with the same get checked to start the treatment early.
Image source: Shutterstock
