Snoring may mean that a person is unable to breath properly while sleeping. This interferes with proper sleep, and reduces the quality of rest.
Sleep apnea is the medical term for brief episodes during sleep when a person stops breathing entirely for several seconds. During the day, poor sleep may leave the person tired, drowsy, in a bad mood, and even prone to accidents.
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"The frequent awakenings that sleep apnea patients experience
leave them continually sleepy and may lead to personality
changes such as irritability or depression. Sleep apnea also
deprives the person of oxygen, which can lead to morning
headaches, a loss of interest in sex, or a decline in mental
functioning. It also is linked to high blood pressure, irregular
heartbeats, and an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke.
Patients with severe, untreated sleep apnea are two to three
times more likely to have automobile accidents than the general
population. In some high-risk individuals, sleep apnea may even
lead to sudden death from respiratory arrest during sleep.
An estimated 18 million Americans have sleep apnea. However, few of them have had the problem diagnosed." |
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"Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep" National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Institutes of Health |
Snoring may also be a warning sign of future heart trouble, and compromise the body's ability to repair itself and fight off infections. Sleep apnea can cause blood pressure to increase, and has been linked to increased risk of stroke.
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"People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, a serious
condition that affects an estimated 18 million Americans, are at
nearly 10 times the risk for experiencing a stroke, according to
a new Veterans Affairs Medical Center/UCLA School of Dentistry
study published in the August Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery.
'When persons with sleep apnea fall asleep, their tongue falls back into their throat, blocking their airway. As they struggle for breath, their blood pressure soars,' explained Dr. Arthur H. Friedlander, chair of dentistry at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Sepulveda, Calif., and associate professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the UCLA School of Dentistry." |
| UCLA School of Dentistry |
| "Researchers evaluated 1,348 adults for the association between the risk of getting a stroke with snoring, sleep duration, and daytime drowsiness. Even after taking classic risk factors into consideration - age, race, gender, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes - the risk for stroke was independently and significantly associated with sleep factors." |
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"Nothing to Snore At -- Sleep Apnea and Stroke" John D. MacArthur The Franklin Institute science museum, Philadelphia |
Dr. Morton diagnoses and treats the causes of snoring, and can provide you with more information. We invite you to call his Moorestown office to set up an appointment.
Luckily, snoring can be treated, improving the quality of a person's own life, not to mention the people around them.