When you have sleep apnea, one of the most notable symptoms of it may be excessively loud snoring, which can make sleeping more difficult for your sleeping partner. Snoring also makes it more difficult for you to breathe easily while sleeping. However, sleep apnea is a major threat for more than just the noise of snoring that accompanies it. In fact, for patients who have it, the sleep disorder can become one of the biggest factors in your risks for several chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders, and much more.
What Sleep Apnea Means
Sleep apnea is more than just chronic snoring. The condition describes the repeated cessation of your breathing throughout the night, which is caused by oral and throat tissues collapsing into your airway. Unlike typical snoring, this obstruction can completely block your airway, making it impossible for you to breathe. To treat sleep apnea, your body will wake up just enough to clear the obstruction, but usually not enough to bring you fully back to consciousness.
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore It
If all you do is snore, then it may not be an immediate threat to your overall health, though hesitating to treat it could allow it to become one. If you have sleep apnea, however, then it can immediately threaten your health in several ways. For example, the condition can cause you to stop breathing repeatedly throughout the night, which can inhibit the amount of oxygen you breathe in each night. It can also stop you from obtaining the deep levels of sleep that your mind and body need to rest, repair cells, and recuperate.
Stop the Threat of Sleep Apnea
If sleep apnea threatens your overall health and wellbeing, then you should stop the threat by seeking customized treatment as soon as possible. To learn more, call Houston Sleep Solutions in Spring, TX, at (281) 320-2000, or in Pearland, TX, at (832) 564-3508.
