Source :Protégez-vous Magazine
Soft purring or unbearable noise, snoring can harm your couple, but also your health! Vigilance required.
Robert and Carole’s snores are an inexhaustible source of teasing in the family. The two sixties accuse each other of preventing each other from sleeping for years. Like these two chronic snorers, about 25% of the population roars after dark, according to Dr. Yanick Larivée, otorhinolaryngologist (ENT) and president of the Association of Otorhinolaryngology and of Cervico-facial Surgery of Quebec. And 45% of people snore occasionally.
A good dose of humor and separate bedrooms allowed Robert and Carole to preserve their sleep and their relationship. But what about their health? They don’t really care…perhaps wrongly. Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit have found that snorers are more likely than others to develop arteriosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries responsible for several diseases.
The study, released in January 2013, finds that the trauma and inflammation caused by snoring vibrations leads to changes in the carotid artery. These changes, along with the fragmentation of sleep caused by snoring, could also be at the root of the development of metabolic syndrome, an accumulation of factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. another study published in 2010 and carried out by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh concluded that snorers were twice as prone to it.
This is without taking into account the risks associated with sleep apnea. This problem, often associated with snoring, is manifested by pauses in breathing of 10 to 30 seconds that occur when the person is sleeping. Untreated, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and depression, among other things.
“Its incidence is generally 3 to 7% in men and 2 to 4% in women, says Dr. Véronique-Isabelle Forest, ENT at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur. But some studies find that up to 24% of men and 9% of women suffer from sleep apnea. The majority of sufferers are unaware of their condition.
Establish the cause of snoring
To silence your snoring, several solutions are available to you depending on the nature of the problem. The cause of snoring must first be established, which is not a disease, but a symptom. Snoring occurs when the space for the passage of air is restricted, explains Dr. Yanick Larivée, otorhinolaryngologist (ENT) and president of the Association of Otorhinolaryngology and of Cervico-facial Surgery of Quebec.
The resistance vibrates the soft tissues of the nose, pharynx and throat, resulting in a more or less pronounced noise. A narrow nose, a backward jaw, a long palate and large tonsils can cause snoring in particular. Just like a stuffy nose from a cold or rhinitis. Often too, there is more than one cause.
To stop snoring, and even sleep apnea, you need to change your habits. At the top of the list: weight loss. Fat accumulates around the waist, but also in the palate and tongue. The space where the air circulates, reduces, increases the vibration. You should also:
- Avoid evening alcohol consumption, sleep medications and muscle relaxants. By softening the muscles, these products amplify snoring.
- Stop smoking. Smoking often leads to rhinitis (inflammation of the lining of the nasal cavities), which is responsible for nighttime buzzing.
- Go to bed and get up at regular times.
Does your snoring persist despite a healthier lifestyle? Are you feeling tired? Better to consult a doctor to check if you have sleep apnea.
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