True Facts Regarding Sleep Snoring

Snoring is a worldwide phenomenon with estimates of over one billion people who snore at bed due to some sort of nasal or airway blockage. Conservative estimates indicate that the Germany, United States and the United Kingdom represent over 70 million snorers alone.

Research into the problems of snoring has in recent years made important findings and yielded to the evidence of major problems with snoring. Findings suggest that by their early thirties, twenty percent of men snore as compared to only ten percent of women. Findings indicate a dramatic increase as men and women reach their sixties indicating that sixty percent of men and the forty percent of women snore. There are noticeable differences in the percentages of men and women that snore. The reason for the difference involves the size of a person's neck, typically an effect of being excessively overweight. Men tend to have larger necks than women do, and having a neck of 17 inches or larger makes it likely the people will snore. Surveys indicate that 80 percent of men that snore do not consider themselves to have a problem and in fact consider their partners to be light sleepers.

Women that snore actually tend to be heavier and shorter than women that do not snore are. Women typically snore through their noses whereas men snore through their noses and mouth both. Women are also more likely than men are to seek proper treatment for snoring. Women typically snore less than men due to smaller necks and larger clear air passages. Women also have a smaller uvula that makes them less likely to snore at bed. Snorers do not usually notice their own snoring and are unaware unless it is pointed out for them somehow. Snorers also tend to be comfortable, deep sleepers. Tonsil and adenoid problems can be major contributors to the snoring of most children, though studies indicate that as few as six percent of all children snore.

There is concern that the medical community does not take the area of snoring problem serious enough. General practitioners typically do not ask patients about their type of sleep. Studies indicate that of the 70 percent of patients that mention sleep problems to their physician, only about ten percent of them attempt to seek further medical help. Dentists who fit patients with snoring devices do not routinely ask their patients about sleeping problems. The problem of snoring and related sleeping disorders is not widely known to the medical community or the public. Both require education on the subject to orient them to this significant snoring problem. Snoring is often considered the first sign of a typical sleep disorder. Sleep apnea is the most significant problem of those people who snore. It is a potential danger for the people and those around them as sleep disorders represent a significant cause of vehicle accidents. Of those suffering from sleep apnea, 70 percent report having been in at least one car accident or something other. Recent studies indicate that more vehicle accidents are caused by sleep disorders than by actual drunk driving.

Snoring can ruin a sound sleep. It is irritating and can upset people; especially when people have something important to do the very next day. People must look for the ways to be able to sleep better than they have in a long time. If they are serious about eliminating their snoring, they should do something about it. If they don't do something now, their snoring could get worse. They will lose sleep or cause a loved one to lose sleep, which could be dangerous.

• John Palsson
• 15/11/2008, 7:39 PM
• 0 Comments