Snoring is a very common phenomenon. In the traditional concept, snoring was thought to be a way of "having enough to eat and sleeping" and living a happy life. In fact, severe snoring can cause repeated upper airway blockages during sleep, clinically known as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
Why are so many elderly people snoring?
According to the survey reports of foreign scholars: the incidence of snoring increases with age. It can be as high as 60% for men aged 41 to 64 and 40% for women. It is a common and frequently-occurring disease.
Frequent snoring is mainly caused by the relaxation of the soft tissues of the throat. The older you are, the easier it is to induce or aggravate many diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease. This is also closely related to factors such as obesity and muscle dysfunction in old age. In addition, the physical decline of the elderly is also one of the reasons for long-term snoring.
Classification of snoring risk factors
Green Light
This is a safe snoring. People breathe evenly when falling asleep, and occasionally there is a slight snoring. Generally speaking, snoring with a loudness below 60 decibels is a benign snoring and has no adverse effects on the body.
Yellow Light
This type of snoring, also known as snoring, is louder than 60 decibels and interferes with airflow through the upper airway, while disturbing the rest of others. Mild snoring will not cause obvious symptoms of hypoxia, and the biggest harm is only interference to others.
Red Light
If the snoring sound exceeds 80 decibels and is accompanied by hypoxic symptoms such as abnormal heart rhythm and moaning, it is a severe snoring disorder, and attention should be paid to it, otherwise it will become a red light snorin
What are the dangers of snoring?
1. When snoring, frequent apnea will cause insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, resulting in dizziness, forgetfulness, fatigue, obesity and aging.
2. Mouth breathing during sleep, accompanied by rhinitis, pharyngitis, dry mouth and bad breath in the morning, lethargy, mental fatigue and other symptoms need timely treatment to prevent the risk of apnea due to severe snoring.
3. Snoring is often accompanied by suffocation and nasal congestion, which poses a considerable risk to middle-aged and elderly people, and the hypoxia caused by snoring may also cause high blood pressure, myocardial infarction, metabolic diseases and other hazards for middle-aged and elderly people.
4. Hypoxia caused by snoring is at high risk for the elderly. Therefore, in order to avoid the harm of snoring, you should face the problem and go to a regular hospital for examination and treatment as soon as you find the symptoms.
How to reduce the frequency of snoring?
1. Weight loss: Weight loss can effectively reduce the number of nocturnal apnea and hypoxemia during nighttime sleep, improve blood oxygen saturation, and improve symptoms.
2. Quit smoking and alcohol: Smoking causes or aggravates respiratory symptoms, especially for COPD patients with sleep-disordered breathing, heavy drinking can aggravate snoring, nighttime breathing disorders and hypoxemia. Drinking alcohol before going to bed has a particularly pronounced effect.
3. Take the lateral recumbent position to avoid the tongue, soft palate, and uvula falling off loosely during sleep, which will aggravate upper airway obstruction.
4. Do not take sedative and sleeping drugs, so as not to aggravate the depression that requires central regulation of breathing.
It is recommended to adhere to good living habits and cooperate with ventilator treatment to greatly reduce the symptoms of snoring.
