Do you snore?
Ask your spouse or a family member if you snore when you sleep.
If you so snore, let it be known that snoring signals obstructive sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder. This may lead to weight gain, high blood pressure and/or cardiovascular diseases.
People all over the world experience this condition called obstructive sleep apnea. It has potentially life-threatening effects when undiagnosed. Obstructive sleep apnea impairs a person’s ability to reach deep and restful phases of sleep.
It is a disorder where a person asleep stops breathing. It comes from the Greek word “apnea,” which means “without breath.”
When a person sleeps, all muscles of his body relax including the soft tissues at the rear of the throat. As this area becomes more flaccid, the tissues collapse into the space meant for air to pass through, making a person with sleep apnea stop breathing during sleep, as often as hundred times an hour, causing inadequate oxygen supply in the body.
With each apnea, the brain receives a signal to awaken the person so he can resume breathing. This may result in a snorting, choking, or gasping sound. Snoring, on the other hand, is the sound made as air passes through the narrowed airway.
The following are some of the effects of having obstructive sleep apnea:
- fatigue
- daytime sleepiness
- increased chances of accidents
These conditions may be associated with obstructive sleep apnea:
- high blood pressure
- arrhythmia
- stroke
- heart failure
The following are helpful to maintain a healthy lifestyle:
- healthy diet
- exercise
- enough sleep from 6 – 8 hours
Do you need help with snoring, whether yours or a loved one’s?
To help sleep apnea sufferers, the Asian Hospital Medical Center (AHMC) provides treatments to reduce socially unacceptable snoring to treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
AHMC has a Sleep Laboratory with a comprehensive range of diagnostic tools and treatment procedures to help sleep apnea sufferers. It is located on the 9th Floor Wing B of the hospital and operates 5 days a week, 24 hours a day.
For inquiries and scheduling of sleep study procedures, call Asian Hospital and Medical Center’s Pulmonary Services at 876-5815 or 771-9000 local 1936.
