Snoring Isn’t Always Harmless: It Could Be Sleep Apnea

Loud snoring often gets dismissed as a minor annoyance. But when snoring signals obstructive sleep apnea, it becomes a serious medical condition that affects your entire body.

At Northwest Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine in Algonquin, Illinois, we diagnose and treat sleep apnea in patients who experience more than just noisy nights.

The difference between noisy sleep and dangerous sleep

With regular snoring, your throat tissues vibrate as air passes through. Sleep apnea-related snoring sounds similar, but your throat tissues close off your airway; you stop breathing for anywhere from 10 seconds to over a minute.

When your oxygen levels drop, your brain jolts you awake just enough to gasp for air. You probably won’t remember waking up, but your body never gets the deep sleep it needs.

Signs that snoring needs medical attention

These symptoms separate dangerous snoring from the harmless kind:

• Gasping or choking sounds during sleep
• Pauses in breathing that others notice
• Extreme daytime fatigue despite getting eight hours’ sleep
• Morning headaches that happen regularly
• Difficulty staying asleep through the night
• Falling asleep during conversations or while driving

Sleep apnea affects your partner's sleep too. Many people come to our office because their spouse insisted that something was wrong with their breathing patterns at night.

How untreated sleep apnea damages your body

Sleep apnea creates a cascade of health problems, such as:

Rising blood pressure

Each breathing interruption drops your blood oxygen levels. Your cardiovascular system responds by constricting blood vessels and speeding up your heart rate to push more oxygen through your body.

Spiking blood sugar

Sleep apnea interferes with insulin sensitivity. Insulin is the hormone that helps your cells absorb sugar from your bloodstream for energy. The stress hormones released during breathing interruptions make your cells less responsive to insulin.

Irregular heartbeat 

When your oxygen levels crash night after night, your heart can’t maintain its normal rhythm. 

Sleep studies reveal what happens during the night

Home sleep studies measure your breathing patterns, oxygen levels, and heart rate while you sleep in your bed. The test uses sensors that attach to your finger, chest, and nose.

The study captures data all night long, showing us exactly when your breathing stops and how your body responds. We can distinguish between light snoring and complete airway blockage.

The Northwest Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine team reviews your sleep study results to determine the severity of your condition and recommend the most effective treatment.

CPAP therapy restores normal breathing

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines prevent your throat tissues from collapsing by maintaining steady air pressure through a mask you wear while sleeping.

Modern CPAP machines adapt to your breathing patterns throughout the night. They increase pressure when your airway starts to narrow and decrease it when you breathe normally.

CPAP therapy can eliminate morning headaches and improve concentration when used consistently. 

If you wake up tired despite sleeping through the night, or your partner complains about loud snoring with breathing pauses, call our office at 815-584-0976 or schedule your consultation online to find out if sleep apnea is affecting your health.