Snoring is a common occurrence in people’s sleep. Many people think that snoring will only result from good sleep quality, but this is not the case. There are two types of snoring, one is benign snoring and the other is malignant snoring.

Benevolent snoring means that the sound of snoring is uniform and regular, and will change with the change of sleeping position. Malignant snoring is not only loud, but also has apnea in the process, which is medically called obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome.

This snoring is terrible and has the potential to kill in sleep.

What is apnea?

After a person falls asleep, the muscles of the whole body will relax, and the muscles of the head are no exception. The loose muscles and uvula press down the airway, narrowing the airway. When breathing, the airflow through the narrowed airway creates a vibrating vortex that produces a snoring sound. When the throat muscles relax enough to completely compress the airway, airflow cannot pass through, and apnea occurs.

Why is apnea dangerous?

When apnea occurs, the airway is blocked, and the patient’s blood oxygen drops significantly. The hypoxia stimulates the human body’s central nervous system, which wakes up the human body and adjusts breathing. However, particularly severe and prolonged airway obstruction may cause the patient to have no time to adjust his breathing during sleep, resulting in sudden death.

Criteria for determining sleep apnea syndrome

The longer the breathing pause, the lower the blood oxygen saturation, and the higher the risk of sudden death. Under normal circumstances, the blood oxygen saturation of the human body is not lower than 92%, and if it is continuously lower than 90%, it will cause damage to multiple organs. The more the number of apnea, the greater the harm to the human body.

Light pauses: 5 to 15 pauses per hour with a minimum oxygen saturation between 85 and 90.

Moderate pauses: 16 to 30 pauses per hour with a minimum oxygen saturation between 80 and 84.

Severe pauses: More than 30 pauses per hour.

What are the symptoms of apnea?

There are eight major symptoms of apnea, and the highest diagnostic value is daytime sleepiness. Daytime sleepiness was classified as mild, moderate, and severe. Severe drowsiness is the ability to fall asleep even when receiving continuous stimulation from the outside world, which can easily lead to vicious consequences such as traffic accidents. In addition, sleep apnea may be caused by symptoms such as lack of sleep relief, dry mouth when waking up, memory loss, high blood pressure, increased nocturia, cardiac colic, sexual dysfunction and other symptoms.

Can I stop snoring by sticking out my tongue 200 times a day?

Putting out your tongue 200 times a day can help to snoring to some extent, but you must not stay away from snoring. Stretching the tongue is an oropharyngeal muscle training. Studies have shown that training for more than half a year or a year can reduce the index of apnea and hypopnea to less than 50%.

Apnea enters a pathological state, and the most important treatment method is ventilator therapy. The principle of the ventilator is to generate positive pressure gas through the machine to help the patient keep the airway open.

Special reminder: The ventilator needs to be used under the guidance of a doctor. After the doctor adjusts to the minimum pressure that can open the airway, it is monitored in the hospital for one night, and it can be used after it is safe.

Are people with small noses, thin upper lip, and short chin at greater risk of sudden death at night?

The face shape is a very important piece of evidence for the diagnosis and screening of sleep-disordered breathing. People with a small nose, thin upper lip, and short chin are prone to narrow airways, which are important signs of sleep apnea.

Is snoring more deadly after drinking?

There is a strong link between drinking and snoring. When the amount of alcohol consumption is relatively large, it will affect the excitement of the central nervous system. The degree of muscle relaxation is closely related to the depth of sleep. After drinking, the patient sleeps deeply, the muscles are more relaxed, the symptoms of apnea are more serious, the central nervous system is not easy to wake up, and the risk is increased.

In addition, when snoring, the thoracic cavity is under huge negative pressure. If you sleep immediately after being drunk, the contents of the abdomen will flow back, which may lead to aspiration pneumonia in mild cases, and suffocation in severe cases.

Special reminder: General anesthesia is prone to hypoxia and suffocation. Patients with apnea syndrome must truthfully inform the doctor about their medical history before surgery.

Children’s snoring is more scary than adults? correct!

The incidence of snoring in children is not low, and parents must pay attention to it. The characteristics of snoring in children are not obvious, most of which are characterized by thick breathing, gasping, mouth breathing, sleeping on the stomach, tossing and turning, and bedwetting at night when they are eight or nine years old.

The main cause of snoring in children is adenoid hypertrophy. Adenoids are lymphoid tissue located at the junction of the nasal and pharyngeal cavities. Adenoids begin to develop in children at the age of two or three, peak at seven or eight years old, and begin to shrink after the age of ten. Abnormal growth of adenoids, excessive hypertrophy can cause sleep apnea.

Special reminder: Adenoid hypertrophy should be treated as soon as possible.

Who are the high-risk groups for sleep apnea?

Middle-aged men, smokers, obese people, and patients with nasopharyngeal diseases are all high-risk groups for sleep apnea.

Source: CCTV Finance “Workplace Health Course”‍‍