Sleep Apnea vs. Snoring: What’s the Difference?

Lots of people have trouble sleeping and two common conditions are sleep apnea and snoring. Even though they are close, knowing what distinguishes them is important to decide when you need to see a doctor. This blog post will discuss the differences, highlight the unusual features, symptoms and results of every condition.

What You Need to Know about Snoring

Snoring is made when the throat’s muscles vibrate while you sleep. It happens when air cannot flow through your mouth and nose normally. A range of things can lead to snoring, for example:

• A deviated septum in the nose or excessively large adenoids can make a person more likely to snore.
• Having extra pounds: A large amount of fat around the neck may limit airflow and create snoring.
• Laying on your back increases the chance of the tongue blocking your throat and causing snoring.
• Older adults are more likely to snore.
• Taking alcohol:** Alcohol sore throat muscles which might make snoring more likely.

The symptoms of snoring are explained below

The main sign of snoring is the raucous noise a person makes while breathing while sleeping, often at a steady pace. Even though snoring may annoy partners, it usually isn’t harmful. Yet, someone who snores too often may be showing signs of a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea.

What is Sleep Apnea?

In sleep apnea, breathing stops or comes in short, shallow bursts while a person is resting. During sleep apnea, apneas may last from a short time to several minutes and occur frequently throughout the night. There are two categories of sleep apnea:

This disorder, known as OSA, happens when the muscles at the back of the throat become very loose and obstruct a person’s breathing.
When someone has central sleep apnea, the brain is not able to tell the breathing muscles when they should work.

List of Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Sleep apnea is worse than snoring and can seriously harm your health if you do not receive treatment. Among the most important symptoms are:

• Many people with OSA make loud noises when they sleep.
• Choking or stopping breathing: Bed partners might notice periods where airflow to the child’s lungs is interrupted.
• Sometimes, apnea events lead to someone gasping or choking during sleep.
• Morning headache: Occurs often as the brain is not getting enough oxygen in the evening.
• Frequent daytime sleepiness: When the body doesn’t get deep sleep, people feel tired all the time.
• Concentration difficulties may happen because the brain is not working properly thanks to bad sleep habits.
• The consequences of chronic disease on health

If left untreated, sleep apnea can be dangerous for your health. It is linked to:

• Repeated breath holds may cause high blood pressure in people with hypertension.
• A person with rheumatoid arthritis is more likely to suffer a heart attack or a stroke than the general population.
• Studies have found that people with sleep apnea have difficulty responding to insulin.
• Mood disorders:** It is connected to higher risk of both depression and anxiety.

What is the difference between sleep apnea and snoring?

Though snoring and sleep apnea may be similar, they are different things with various outcomes.

1. What the Disorder Is:
   Usually, snoring happens when the airway is partially blocked.
   It’s characterized by cessation or nearly cessation, of breathing in periods throughout sleep.
2. Health Risks:
   While annoying, snoring is almost never dangerous.
   The condition is dangerous for your heart and can slow your brain functions.
3. Treatment:
   Some treatments for snoring focus on making changes in your lifestyle such as shedding pounds or sleeping in a different position.
   Most of the time, sleep apnea is treated more intensively, for instance, with CPAP therapy or surgery.
4. Diagnosis:
   Snoring is usually easy to diagnose after examining symptoms and doing a physical checkup.
   It’s important to have a formal sleep study, known as polysomnography, to detect sleep apnea correctly.

What Signs Should Lead You to Contact Your Doctor

If someone in your life or you notice sleep apnea symptoms, consult a doctor immediately. A healthcare provider is able to assess the situation and suggest the right diagnostic tests for use. Sometimes, if the main problem is snoring and not sleep apnea, making certain lifestyle changes can be enough.

How to Address Snoring and Sleep Apnea

1. Managing weight can help reduce the fat in the area around your neck and throat which can ease your snoring and sleep apnea.
2. Try not to sleep flat on your back, because it can block your airways.
3. It is advisable to avoid alcohol as well as sedatives because they can make you snore and breathe irregularly.
4. Open Your Nasal Pathways:** Use strips on your nose or a humidifier.
5. CPAP Machines:** When someone has sleep apnea, a CPAP is often used to constantly force air to keep the airway clear.

Conclusion

Understanding these conditions helps you avoid complications and treat them more effectively. While snoring usually doesn’t cause harm, it can sometimes mean someone has sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder. Noticing the early signs of each lets people make good choices to benefit their mental and physical well-being. If you or someone you know has symptoms of sleep apnea, see a doctor for an evaluation and the right treatment plan.

Take control of your sleep health today

Visit apacdsm.com to explore the differences between snoring and sleep apnea, discover trusted treatment options, and connect with qualified dental sleep medicine professionals. A timely diagnosis can protect your long-term health—because good sleep is good living.