Snoring may lead to sudden death? To measure your degree of "snoring"

In daily life, we have become accustomed to snoring. Some people even think that those who snore have good health.

In fact, this is completely wrong. In medicine, loud snoring is actually a disease. When snoring disorder keeps worsening, obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome will occur, directly causing oxygen deficiency in the body. In severe cases, it can even lead to sudden death.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome | OSAHS

Sleep is an important condition for human health and longevity. Sleep apnea syndrome can seriously affect sleep quality and increase the risk of death. Due to factors such as obesity and relaxation of throat muscles, the upper airway becomes narrow and obstructed. During sleep, when breathing airflow through the mouth and nose decreases by more than 90% and disappears completely, it triggers vibration of the soft palate and causes snoring.

Sleep apnea: During sleep, the airflow through the mouth and nose significantly weakens, dropping by more than 90% and disappearing completely, lasting for more than 10 seconds.

Apnea: During sleep, the airflow through the mouth and nose drops by 30% and the blood oxygen level drops by more than 4%, or the airflow through the mouth and nose drops by 5% and the blood oxygen level drops by 3%, lasting for more than 10 seconds.

Apnea-Hypopnea Index: The sum of the number of apnea and hypopnea events per hour (AHI)

I.Classification of sleep apnea

Obstructive: Caused by obstruction of upper airway

Central: Dysfunction of the central nervous system, unable to issue effective instructions

Mixed: Central apnea occurs first, followed by obstructive apnea

II. Hazards of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea can cause chronic intermittent hypoxia, leading to hypoxemia, hypercapnia, and eventually triggering and exacerbating:

Cardiovascular diseases: hypertension, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, stroke

Metabolic diseases: type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance

Neurological and cognitive: health problems, headaches, drowsiness, dementia

Respiratory system: breath holding, pulmonary heart disease, respiratory failure

Blood: secondary polycythemia and increased blood viscosity

Mental state: anxiety, depression, strange behavior, personality changes, hallucinations and auditory hallucinations

Reproductive system: sexual dysfunction

Others: decreased attention, reduced ability to complete tasks, often leading to accidents such as car crashes. For children with sleep apnea, it can cause behavioral abnormalities, learning disabilities, delayed growth and development, neurocognitive impairment, endocrine disorders, and hypertension.

III. Treatment for Sleep Apnea

Weight loss, dietary control, exercise → Quit smoking and drinking, use sedative-hypnotic drugs with caution, avoid overwork → Non-invasive assisted ventilation treatment (CPAP is the most commonly used) → Surgical treatment (if there are obvious surgical conditions such as significant hypertrophy of tonsils that require surgical intervention) → No drugs with definite efficacy

When using non-invasive assisted ventilation treatment for the first time, to ensure safety and effectiveness, pressure titration should be carried out under the detection of professional equipment as much as possible, and follow-up should be established.

IV. Self-assessment Questionnaire

Refer to the following self-assessment questionnaire to see if you are at risk of suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.

Note: If the number of “Yes”answers is greater than or equal to 3, it indicates a high risk of obstructive sleep apnea; if the number is less than 3, it suggests a low risk of obstructive sleep apnea.