What Causes Snoring Apnea?

Are you one of the many who thinks that you suffer with snoring apnea? You might be, but you need to know a few things about it before you can properly diagnose your condition, so it’s a good idea to get the facts about this condition.

First of all, you should consider what causes your snoring, because you might not have snoring apnea, you may just have allergies or a stuffy nose. For instance, many people snore at night, but lots of them do not have any type of apnea, instead they are suffering from what happens when their noses become stuffed up, either due to allergies, colds or upper respiratory infections. You may also be interested to know that if your home is too dry, this dry air can cause inflammation in the nasal passages, which will also cause snoring.

Okay, so you know you don’t have a stuffy nose, but how do you know that you have snoring apnea? Good question and one way to check if you do is have your partner tell you if you stop snoring when you change sleeping positions. Many people who suffer from snoring apnea find that they sleep on their backs, but when they change to sleeping on their side or stomach, they no longer snore.

Since snoring apnea is caused from the muscles in the soft palette and throat relaxing too much and putting pressure on the airways, when a person who suffers with this condition changes the way they sleep, or turns over, they find that there is no longer the pressure on the airway that was there before.

Another side effect of snoring apnea is being tired all the time. Many people who have snoring apnea find that they do not sleep as well, or that they are not getting the proper oxygen levels to the brain, which causes their brain to feel as if it is dying and can wake a person who suffers with this condition up frequently throughout the night. If you feel that you aren’t getting good sleep, or that you are tired no matter how much you sleep, it could be that you are suffering from sleep apnea and you actually snore.

You might find it interesting to know that snoring apnea typically affects men who are overweight, or those who have a “thick neck” are thought to suffer with this condition. So, if you are overweight and snore, you might actually have sleep apnea, which can be potentially dangerous if not treated early on. Usually, your health care professional will recommend that you work to lose weight and avoid drinking too much alcohol or smoking, as these are also thought to cause sleep apnea. You might also want to work to change your sleeping positions, as this will very often affect not only how well you sleep, but how loudly you snore.