How Snoring Affects Sleep

Lack of sleep can cause irritibility, depression, an inability to concentrate, and a lack of sexual libido.

Although snoring is often depicted in cartoons as a funny situation, there is little to laugh about when it comes to the truth about how snoring affects sleep and ultimately an individual's health. Snoring is actually considered to be a medical disorder and occurs when air is obstructed in the throat, causing the mouth and throat to abnormally vibrate, creating a sound similiar to a low whirring or loud grumbling sound. About one out of four adults snores on a regular basis, enough to disrupt their ability to get a heathful good night's sleep.

There are a number of causes that contribute to snoring. These range from allergies and sinus infections or anything that blocks the nasal passages to being overweight or having poor tongue and throat muscle tone due to aging. But whatever the cause, even mild cases of snoring can interfere with an individual's ability to get enough sleep and to get the kind of sleep that helps to regenerate the body physically and mentally.

Snoring can cause a breathing disturbance known as sleep apnea, a condition in which the airflow in a person's windpipe can be blocked for as little as 10 seconds to as much as 60 seconds. This causes less oxygen to reach the person's brain, resulting in a temporary struggle to take in air, which in turn awakens the person from his sleep if just for a few seconds, alerting the individual to tighten his throat muscles in order to clear the obstruction and resume breathing. Unfortunately, sleep apnea can cause this same scenario in which the individual is awakened from sleeping for several hundred times during the night. As a result, the individual subject to snoring never achieves that all-important stage of sleep known as REM or rapid eye movement sleep, a deep sleep phase which is essential for memory retention and the ability to concentrate as well as learn during waking hours.

Many individuals who are chronic snorers tend to become very light sleepers because they are always trying to keep their throat muscles tensed in order to prevent sleep apnea from occuring. When snorers awaken in the morning, they are often subjected to headaches as well as drowsiness because of the lack of proper sleep. This sleepiness can also cause irritibility, depression, an inability to concentrate, and a lack of sexual libido. Snoring that interferes with an individual's quality of sleep also makes them subject to high blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke or heart attack.

There are a number of ways that people who snore can decrease snoring's negative affect on their quality of sleep. One way is to begin sleeping on one's side rather than lying flat on the back. Another good remedy is to raise the head of the bed at least four inches in addition to using a pillow that raises the head at a 45 degree angle. It can help for a snorer to lose weight and refrain from eating or snacking at least four hours prior to bedtime, in addition to following a regular routine for going to bed and waking up at the same time. Other effective anti-snore devices such as the Blue Sea Snore Stopper are also excellent remedies to prevent snoring. Anti-snoring devices can help eliminate or greatly reduce the negative affect that snoring has on sleep quality and the user's overall health.