A Swedish study reveals that children who grow up in a large family or who are exposed to animals often have respiratory or ear infections in early life are more likely to develop into snorers in later life.
Snoring is not just a potential annoyance. In some cases, it can be a sign of a potentially fatal respiratory condition known as obstructive sleep apnea which causes a narrowing or collapse of the throat during sleep, and as a result, can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, lead to memory loss, depression, diabetes, among other health issues.
The University Hospital Umea research, published in the BioMed Central, suggested that allergic swelling could alter the shape of a person’s airways for life.
Just under one in five people, in a participant pool of 15,556 people from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Estonia reported “habitual snoring,” which they described as loud and disturbing, at least three nights a week.
Dr. Keith Prowse, chairman of the British Lung Foundation said the “study provides some interesting clues into why some children are more likely to develop into adult snorers.”
Prowse continued, saying the study “adds to the body of evidence that respiratory problems in early life can lead to the development of respiratory conditions in later life.”
Almost everyone is likely to snore at one time or another, and while most people with apnea snore, not everyone who snores has apnea. It has been found in all age groups. Estimates of snoring vary widely based on how it is defined.
Habitual snoring has been found in about 24 percent of adult women and 40 percent of adult men. Both men and women are more likely to snore as they age. Men, however, become less likely to snore after the age of 70.
Obstructive sleep apnea is best treated by the use of a positive airway pressure device, such as a continuous positive airway pressure device, or CPAP, or a bi-level positive airway pressure device, or bi-level. Some people mistaken refer to all bi-level devices as BiPAP machines, although the word BiPAP is a registered trademark of Respironics, Inc., for a specific line of bi-level devices. The term xPAP is used when speaking of positive airway pressure machines, overall, when one specific type of machine is not being discussed.
Other treatments for apnea exist, though the success rate at eliminating the apneas — especially without surgery — are not close to the almost 100 percent success rate of xPAP devices. They include oral devices, including custom devices made by dentists; surgeries; and an implant that’s been on the market for a few years with mixed comments.
While many people with obstructive sleep apnea snore loudly and frequently, following by periods of silence when airflow is reduced or blocked, and then come to a conclusion when the person begins to make choking, snorting, or gasping sounds when the person’s airway reopens.
Links of interest
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