Snoring vs. Sleep Apnea? (sound vs. suffocation)
Snoring is a sound made when the airway is restricted as air flows in and out.
Imagine a balloon with a thin opening and the sound it makes when the air escapes.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep pnea is when the muscles in the airway relax too much, causing a complete cessation of breathing for at least 10 seconds or longer, associated with a 3 or 4% drop in blood oxygen levels. During an apneic event, a patient also experiences a blood pressure and heart rate spike. It is like being suffocated in your sleep. For the body to resume breathing, it moves from a restorative stage of sleep to a less restorative stage so that the body wakes up enough to start breathing again. According to The Academy of Sleep Medicine, if this happens more than five times an hour, it is considered significant and needs treatment.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) can be an upstream solution to many downstream health conditions.