New Delhi, June 10 (IANS). Due to today’s busy life, increasing obesity, irregular eating habits and lack of physical activities, the problem of snoring is being seen more than before.
According to medical research, snoring occurs when the airway does not remain completely open during sleep. When a person breathes, air has to pass through the nose and throat to reach the lungs. If there is any obstruction anywhere in this path, more pressure has to be applied for the air to pass through. During this, the throat tissues start moving and produce vibrations. This vibration turns into the sound of snoring. The greater the obstruction, the louder the sound can be.
According to experts, increasing weight is one of the biggest causes of snoring. When excess fat starts accumulating in the body, its effect is not limited to only the stomach or waist. Fat may also accumulate around the throat, causing the airway to become narrow. While sleeping at night, the muscles naturally become loose and in such a situation, further obstruction can be created in the flow of air. This is the reason why complaints of snoring are more common in overweight people.
Alcohol consumption and certain types of sleep medications can also worsen this problem. Medical experts say that these things cause the muscles of the throat and windpipe to become excessively loose, due to which the respiratory tract can shrink more than before. As a result, the sound of snoring increases and in some cases breathing also becomes difficult.
Problems related to nose can also be a major cause of snoring. If a person has long-term sinus problems, frequent allergies or persistent swelling inside the nose, the flow of air through the nose may be affected. In such a situation the person starts breathing through the mouth. The possibility of snoring increases significantly when breathing through the mouth.
Doctors say that mild and occasional snoring is usually not a cause for concern. But if snoring occurs daily, makes very loud noise or some other symptoms also appear along with it, then there is a need to be careful. Especially if breathing stops while sleeping, sudden feeling of suffocation, frequent sleep disturbances or feeling very tired after waking up in the morning, then it can indicate a serious condition.
The problem which is considered the most serious in medical research is called obstructive sleep apnea. In this situation, breathing stops repeatedly for a few seconds while sleeping. Many times a person does not even realize it, but the body does not get enough oxygen. If this happens for a long time, problems like blood pressure, heart disease, memory problems and excessive sleep throughout the day can increase.
In such a situation, if snoring continues to increase or other symptoms also appear along with it, then it is necessary to get checked.
–IANS
PK/DKP
