The Important Difference Between Snoring and Sleep Apnea Sleep Disorder
Did you get a good nights sleep last night and woke this morning feeling refreshed and full of energy to take on the day ahead. If not, chances are that you may be one of the tens of thousands of people who suffer with some form of sleep disorder. Experts who study sleep have identified at least one hundred different types of sleep disorder that cause sufferers to awaken with a feeling that they have not had a good nights sleep.
Although you may be getting the quantity of sleep, you may well not be getting quality sleep. It may be time to take a good look at your sleeping habits if you are not waking in the morning feeling fully refreshed and ready to start your day.
The majority of people with a sleep disorder do not even know they have a problem so it is worth asking your spouse or sleeping companion about your sleep habits. They will quite probably tell you that you talk in your sleep, snore, grind your teeth, keep moving your legs around or some other sleep related condition. Although you may not be aware of any problems when you are sleeping, your bed companion certainly will be as you are keeping them awake!
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder and also a serious medical condition that can result in death if not properly treated. Sufferers of sleep apnea are not normally aware of the condition but their bed partner may well be. A person with sleep apnea will actually stop breathing for periods of up to ten seconds and can do this thirty or more times in an hour. During this period, the person will very briefly wake in order to regain their breathing. Sufferers of sleep apnea will often experience drowsiness during the day together with poor work performance and also depression.
Snoring is another sleep disorder that most people are familiar with and is normally caused by congestion or some other obstruction in the airways. Enlarged tonsils or adenoids can also cause snoring but they can also be the cause of Sleep Apnea. It is therefore important to know the difference between the two.
I have a four year old grand daughter who we have looked after for the best part of her young life. She has also spent many nights sleeping in our home as well. Earlier on this year, when she was sleeping over, I took her to bed, read to her and off she went to sleep.
However, not long after dropping off to sleep, I noticed that her breathing was very quiet, so much so that I actually put my ear against her mouth to check that she was breathing. Bad timing perhaps but she let out a snore come splutter straight into my ear and carried on sleeping and snoring as she always has done.
Having frightened the life out of me, I told her mother who then told the doctor who in turn referred my grand daughter to a paediatric ENT specialist. The specialist discovered slightly enlarged tonsils and her adenoids causing a slight airway blockage. In other words, she was suffering from sleep apnea although we didn’t know it up until this point.
The result of all this is that my grand daughter went into hospital in September and had her tonsils and adenoids removed. She has now fully recovered, doesn’t snore and seems to get a good nights sleep each and every night.
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For more information on what you should know about Sleep and Sleep Disorders visit Sleep Disorders Guide and find out what happens if you do not get the quantity and quality of sleep each and every night. |
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