Recent epidemiological summary literature shows that about 20% of middle-aged men have mild sleep apnea, and about 7% of middle-aged men have more than moderate sleep apnea. The incidence rate of sleep apnea in the elderly is much higher. In addition, about 1% to 3% of children suffer from sleep apnea; The prevalence rate of women is 1/3-1/2 of that of men. Premenopausal women are relatively less prone to this disease, while postmenopausal women have a high incidence rate, and the incidence rate of moderate and above is close to 4%. Sleep apnea is gradually becoming a major public health concern worldwide. Sleep accounts for 1/3 of human life, but do you really understand the relationship between sleep and health? March 21 is the “World Sleep Day”. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, 27% of the world’s people have sleep problems, that is, at least one in every four people. Among sleep disorders, sleep apnea syndrome (commonly known as snoring) is the most dangerous condition, with 3000 people worldwide dying from snoring every day.
In daily life, snoring is a common sleep phenomenon. Most people think it is common, but not common.Why snore?There are many reasons for snoring, but the most common reasons are the following five.
1. Airway stenosis
Many patients snore during sleep because of airway stenosis.
2. Physical obesity
Obese patients often deposit too much fat on the neck. In this case, the throat is easily blocked, resulting in poor airflow, which causes snoring patients to sleep and snore at night.
3. Bad living habits
Many snorers are caused by bad living habits, such as smoking and drinking.
4. Genetic factor
Many snoring patients in life snore because of their family history of snoring.
5. Excessive fatigue
After tiredness, in order to absorb more oxygen and reduce fatigue during sleep, they will unconsciously breathe with their mouth, which makes the soft tissues such as the soft palate vibrate more, causing snoring during sleep.
Snoring is also likely caused by other physical causes. The current medical research report shows that patients with hypertension and cardiovascular disease have a high probability of snoring. Snoring is often caused by airway obstruction caused by soft tissue relaxation in the throat. As we age, muscle function declines, and too much polypoid tissue is deposited in the palatopharyngeal region, which affects the passing respiratory airflow. As the airflow passes through this narrow region, it creates eddy currents, causing vibration, and thus causing snoring. At the same time, increasing age will make the upper respiratory tract more relaxed, collapsed, and the back of the tongue more severe, increasing the likelihood of upper respiratory tract occlusion, which is more likely to cause apnea.
Several common misunderstandings about snoring
1. Snoring indicates fatigue or sound sleep
wrong! It is unscientific to simply equate snoring with the depth and quality of sleep. Because snoring is often a manifestation of poor breathing, which will cause hypoxia in the body and affect the quality of sleep. In addition, snorers often have symptoms such as drowsiness, fatigue, fatigue and memory loss during the day, which affect daily life.
2. Only fat people snore
wrong! Snoring is mainly due to narrow airways, not fat and thin. It’s just that fat people are more likely to snore than fat people.
3. The louder the snoring, the more serious the disease is. It doesn’t matter if the sound is light
wrong! The severity of snoring is not determined by the size of snoring, but by the frequency of respiratory disorders and the degree of hypoxia during sleep. Therefore, no matter how loud or small the snoring sound is, attention should be paid to it.
4. Only when tired do you snore
wrong! Some people do not snore at ordinary times, and only do so when they are tired. This is because the upper jaw will sag after tiredness and temporarily block the airway, which will cause snoring. Most people will snore after tiredness, and only the most serious ones need treatment. There are many reasons for snoring, and fatigue is only one of them.
5. No treatment is needed for snoring
wrong! Most people think that snoring is a common phenomenon and do not need treatment. Such an idea is wrong. Because snoring can cause people to stop breathing repeatedly during sleep, make the body seriously anoxic, and may induce cardio-cerebrovascular disease and arrhythmia, and may cause sudden death in serious cases. Therefore, it is suggested that friends who snore for a long time should go to the hospital for an examination, early diagnosis and early treatment.
How to prevent and cure snoring?
1. Strengthen physical exercise and maintain good living habits.
2. Avoid smoking and drinking, because smoking can cause respiratory symptoms to worsen, and drinking can aggravate snoring, nocturnal respiratory disorders and hypoxemia. Especially drinking before going to bed.
3. For obese people, we should actively reduce weight and strengthen exercise. Our experience is to lose more than 5% – 10% of weight.
4. Choose the right pillow. When snorers choose pillows, they should choose soft and elastic pillows. They should not choose too high pillows. The height of the pillows should be our shoulder width on one side, which is good for our breathing.
5. It is forbidden to take sedative and hypnotic drugs before going to bed, so as to avoid aggravating the inhibition of respiratory center regulation.
6. Take a lateral sleeping position. For those who snore during sleep, it is best to use a lateral sleeping position, with the right side lying as the best choice.
7. The mattress should not be too soft. Especially for those who snore seriously, it is better to sleep on a hard bed.
In conclusion, although snoring is currently clinically difficult to eradicate, patients with poor conservative treatment can also undergo velopharyngoplasty, however we can’t assure it’s effect. We don’t need to panic. We need to understand, face it squarely, and develop good habits to better handle the situation.
