When you are obviously very tired, you are most likely to “snoring loudly”, but the doctor said that snoring does not mean that you are sleeping well, and may even be the manifestation of “not sleeping well”, which is very harmful to your health? On the occasion of World Sleep Day, Ouyang Shaoji, director of the Department of Otolaryngology of the Fifth Hospital of Southern Medical University, came to clarify doubts for everyone.
What is a sleep cycle?
I believe that snoring is no stranger to everyone. Many people think that snoring is a sign of sound sleep. Ouyang Shaoji said, in fact, “snoring to sleep” is a kind of disease, and snoring is caused by the decrease of upper airway tension. Collapse and blockage. Human sleep has a “cycle”. During human sleep, brain activity is not in a static state, but presents a series of cyclical changes in active regulation, and various physiological functions of the body also change regularly with the depth of sleep.
Modern medicine divides sleep into two stages according to changes in EEG, eye movement and muscle tone during sleep.
Non-REM period: It is characterized by a slowdown in the whole body metabolism, the total metabolic rate is 10%~25% lower than that in the resting state before bedtime, the cerebral blood flow is reduced, and the activity of neurons in most brain areas is reduced, Circulatory, respiratory and sympathetic nervous system activities are reduced, showing smooth breathing, slow heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, and muscle tone (still maintain a certain posture), no obvious eye movement. The sleep depth is divided into light sleep, moderate sleep, and deep sleep.
The rapid eye movement period: characterized by EEG manifestations similar to those of the awake period, increased cerebral metabolism and cerebral blood flow, and increased neuronal activity in most brain regions, but the systemic muscle tone was the lowest during this period.
Non-REM periods and REM periods occur alternately during nighttime sleep, each alternating as a cycle, 4 to 6 cycles per night. There is more deep sleep in the early stage of sleep, less deep sleep in the later stage and more REM sleep, and then we wake up refreshed. This is the sleep cycle and a healthy night’s sleep.
What happens to your body when you snore?
Snoring is most likely to occur in the period of decreased muscle tone, that is, deep sleep and rapid eye movement periods. When snoring, the upper airway collapses and blocks, leading to obstruction of breathing, hypoxia, and micro-arousal of the brain. During the sleep period, this repetition takes away deep sleep and REM sleep, but deep sleep and REM sleep are extremely important to our brain function and the adjustment of our body and spirit. Mild snoring may only cause a micro-arousal in the brain but not the whole body, and sleep is quietly taken away without awareness! However, with the aggravation of the disease, the patient may wake up many times during the night sleep, manifesting as an increase in the number of nocturia.
Snoring can occur in both children and adults, which not only affects sleep, but may also cause damage to multiple organs such as the heart and brain due to lack of oxygen. In addition, children’s sleep snoring and mouth breathing can lead to prominent upper dentition and upper lip changes. Thick, lack of facial expression, medically known as “adenoid facies”. Ouyang Shaoji reminded that people with snoring symptoms are recommended to go to a regular hospital with a sleep monitoring ward for detailed examination and treatment, especially children’s snoring, which is more harmful and affects children’s development. Once the adenoid face is formed, it is difficult to recover. diagnosis and treatment.
Text/Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Reporter: Zhou Jieying Correspondent: Jiang Yun
Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor: Lin Xiahong