Maxwell Adeyemi

SNORING is not only a noisy nuisance, it may also be a sign of sleep apnea. Not everyone who snores has this underlying condition. For those who do, snoring can lead to heart failure.

Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is a chronic, progressive condition that requires medical treatment. Heart failure develops over time, if your heart does not pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs.

Sleep apnea can lead to heart failure. It’s a disorder that causes your breathing to stop and start repeatedly, while you’re asleep. There are two types:

• Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type, may cause heart failure, hypertension, arrhythmia, and stroke.

• Snoring is less associated with central sleep apnea. However, it can occur as a symptom.

Snoring is not necessarily a sign of heart failure. It can, however, be a sign of sleep apnea. Since sleep apnea can lead to heart failure and other serious conditions, it’s important to determine the underlying cause of snoring, especially if it’s chronic and loud.

Snoring, sleep apnea, and heart function.

Central sleep apnea, the less common type, occurs when the brain stops sending signals to the muscles of the diaphragm that control breathing.

Snoring is typically caused by obstructed breathing. Obstructive sleep apnea causes brief interruptions in breathing to occur at least 20 to 30 times an hour during sleep. These constant sleep interruptions cause a drop in oxygen blood levels. When your oxygen level drops, your brain jolts you into wakefulness so you’ll take a deep breath. People typically don’t remember these occurrences, even though they may happen hundreds of times a night.

The interruptions in breathing also cause a surge in cortisone and adrenaline, two stress hormones, to occur. These hormones contribute to heart failure and high blood pressure. They can also trigger heart attacks.

The constant jolt of waking up places an ongoing strain on your heart and entire cardiovascular system. Waking up many times a night also robs you of the deep, regenerative rest needed for overall health.

Symptoms of sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea usually causes loud snoring. Other symptoms include: gasping, snorting, choking, waking up startled by your own snoring, waking up many times during sleep, consistently waking up with a morning headache or dry mouth, extreme daytime fatigue.

[caption id="attachment_1133957" align="alignnone" width="510"] Dr Maxwell Adeyemi -[/caption]

The symptoms caused by central sleep apnea may be similar but can vary. Central sleep apnea doesn’t always cause snoring. When snoring does occur, it may be less loud or intense as snoring caused by obstructive sleep apnea. Other symptoms of central sleep apnea include: abrupt awakenings during sleep with shortness of breath, insomnia, extreme daytime fatigue, changes in mood, consistently waking up with headaches.

Additionally, other symptoms associated with both types of sleep apnea, even though many people don’t think to connect them to t