How Snoring Affects Your Health

You already know (and the rest of the people in your household probably know as well) that snoring can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. But did you know that snoring and other sleep issues are linked to several serious health conditions?

Health Conditions and Sleep Problems

You may not even realize how snoring and other sleep issues, such as sleep apnea, can lead to serious health problems. Sleep apnea – when there are several pauses in breathing during sleep – can be one cause of snoring, and having one or both of these conditions can increase your risk for developing:

• Arrhythmia. People who have snored for many years may develop an arrhythmia (an irregular heart rhythm). This can make the heart feel like it is racing or fluttering, but in the worst case scenario an irregular heart rhythm can cause cardiac arrest.
• Stroke. Research has shown that the louder and longer you snore each night, the greater your risk for stroke.
• Heart disease. Patients with sleep apnea are twice as likely to have fatal heart attacks and also nonfatal heart disease.
• GERD. GERD (short for “gastroesophageal reflux disease”) can happen in people with sleep apnea because of the way their throat closes while they sleep. The air doesn’t move in and out as it should, which causes pressure changes, which can allow acidic stomach contents to go back into the esophagus.
• Mental health problems. Not getting enough sleep (even though you think you are) can lead to anything from crankiness to an overwhelming feeling of depression and anxiety.
• Nocturia. This is defined as getting up to use the bathroom two or more times in the middle of the night, and it has been linked with snoring. Studies have shown that there seems to be a link between benign prostate enlargement (resulting in the need to urinate often) and sleep issues.

Snoring may seem annoying but harmless, but it can put your health at risk, which is just one more reason to do something about it. Contact eos dental sleep for snoring solutions. Call the office in Philadelphia at (215) 241-0700 for a snoring consultation today!