Snoring and Sleep Apnea: How To Watch Out

Have you or your partner been snoring loudly when asleep? Sometimes, loud snoring may accompany strange breathing sounds, choking or gasping. These noises may interrupt your sleep. However, you may also suffer sudden silences due to pauses in breathing. Daytime tiredness and fatigue due to poor quality sleep may be a problem. Sometimes, patients with snoring and sleep apnea may suffer headaches in the morning too. Memory loss and “brain fog” are typical symptoms of poor sleep. Very often, this may be due to underlying obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

COULD IT BE OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA?

We see many patients with snoring problems due to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) at ENTcare specialist clinic in Singapore. Although weight gain with obesity is a common cause for OSA in the United States, obstructive sleep apnea in Singapore has other reasons. These include nasal congestion, enlarged tonsils and deviated nasal septum.

Snoring and sleep apnea patients whom we see at ENTcare Clinic in Singapore may have a narrow airway. This may be due to a floppy soft palate and long uvula. The uvula is that long structure in the mirror when you open your mouth. Some snoring and sleep apnea patients may have bulky tongue base tissue which collapses to obstruct their airway when asleep. Others have a smaller lower jaw which fall backward when they are asleep.

WHY SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT SNORING AND SLEEP APNEA?

So why should we be concerned about obstructive sleep apnea? OSA can be an insidious condition which many people may not be aware of. These patients have been snoring for a long time and dismiss their snoring as “normal”. Clearly, this cannot be normal! Snoring itself represents turbulent airflow moving in and out of a narrow airway. The noise originates from vibration of the soft tissue inside the nose and throat. Breathing through a narrow airway means reduced oxygen delivery to your vital organs such as the heart and brain.

Think of these obstructive episodes happening multiple times every night over a few years! Did you realise that untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) carries a higher risk of developing multiple complications? These include a heart attack, stroke and irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias). These funny heart rhythms can sometimes lead to sudden death in your sleep. Snoring and sleep apnea with poor quality sleep is also linked to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Sleep apnea may reduce libido in men. This results from decreased levels of the important male hormone called testosterone. This male hormone is important for good health and well-being in men.

WHAT HAPPENS IF SLEEP APNEA REMAINS UNTREATED?

As an ENT specialist in Singapore, I have seen many snoring patients who were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with a sleep study. They had ignored the diagnosis, not bothering to seek treatment. By the time they came to see me, they had already developed heart disease or suffered a stroke. So then we must ask: Could these patients have avoided their heart disease and stroke complications if their sleep apnea had been treated earlier?

Food for thought indeed! At the end of the day, prevention is always better than cure. So it would be wise to screen carefully for snoring and sleep apnea to reduce the risk of serious complications before it is too late. Why wait until it is too late? Things aren’t going to get any better just by waiting and doing nothing! What should you do then?

The treatment options for sleep apnea and snoring are pretty straightforward. These include CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), surgery and a special mandibular advancement device (MAS). The latter is like a mouthguard to wear at night when asleep. The mouthguard is fitted by a dentist.

Read the following link below for a clear summary on these treatment options. Breathe well, sleep well, my friends! Stop snoring and sleep apnea now!

https://www.drannabelle.com/sleep-apnea-and-snoring-specialist-singapore.html

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