Sleep Apnea Snoring Common Misconceptions

There is a large number of people who snore while they sleep and a percentage of the people who snore may be suffering from sleep apnea snoring.

There are many misconceptions regarding sleep apnea. Let us look at a few of them and dispel those that remain untrue.

· Only elderly and obese people suffer from the disease. This is not true. There are many young women who are slim who don’t snore but suffer from sleep apnea. However the disease can be more profound in the elderly and the obese. Almost 90% of those that suffer from the disease don’t actually know they have it. Sleep apnea can result in anxiety, depression, weight gain, heart attack, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

· You should not sleep on your stomach. It doesn’t matter; there are a heap of people who can only sleep if it’s on their stomach. It isn’t the cause for sleeping apnea.

· I clearly don’t suffer from sleep apnea because I don’t snore. One can never be sure of his or her sleeping patterns and cannot say for sure that they don’t snore. Some people may skip a breathe 60 times am hour without facing any real problems; however, this puts them at a greater danger of having heart attacks.

· Apnea can be cured by dieting and losing weight. If you are suffering from apnea, then you will not be able to control your weight, since, people suffering from apnea tend to put on weight and eat more. Sleep is essential component if you want to lose weight. Since you are not able to sleep well, you may not be able to lose weight.

· I snore because my nose is blocked, not because I have sleeping apnea. A Flu may aggravate apnea, but apnea cannot be the result of a cold. If you have a smaller or a narrower jaw it can cause vibrations when the tongue moves behind it in the soft palate. This vibration can cause a sound.

Therefore if you are in the habit of snoring continuously, you may be suffering from sleep apnea even though you may not be aware of it yet.

In addition to the problems of snoring, if you are also suffering from either high blood pressure, diabetes, you are obese, or are suffering from anxiety or depression, then you need to meet a consultant and get your self checked out for sleep apnea snoring at the earliest convenience.