Snoring - should I seek help?

Everyone has a good chuckle when it comes to snoring. It has been used as a comedic device in cartoons, nursery rhymes and sitcoms for years. However, because of this, it’s easy for us to dismiss the seriousness of snoring in our sleep. Other than our partner suffering through the noise all night, it’s easy to underestimate snoring’s impact on our health and sleep.

The ‘Snoring Spectrum’

Snoring is the unconscious reverberation sound that is made when the muscles of the mouth and throat relax during sleep, and restrict the airway. It is an indication of sleep disordered breathing and can be disruptive to the quality of sleep a person gets.

Approximately 50% of all adults snore on occasion, and around 25% are habitual snorers, with the prevalence leaning more towards men, and its severity worsening with age¹. There is a scale of magnitude: at one end of the spectrum is simple snoring, at the other is snoring as a symptom of sleep apnea.

Why should I seek help for snoring?

It can seem like snoring is too trivial an issue to ask for help about, but snoring may affect the quality of your sleep and consequently how you feel each day, and snoring is one of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea.

If snoring is affecting you or your partner’s wellbeing it is important to have it assessed. Contact us at Resmed to discuss your symptoms and we can work out the next steps for you².

When to contact Resmed

Here are some general signs indicating it is time to book an appointment³.

• Very loud snoring that can be heard in the next room
• Continually gasping or choking when in bed
• Ongoing insomnia
• Chronic feeling of being tired every day
• Considerable mood swings due to being tired everyday
• Waking up at unusual times
• Awaking abruptly with a dry throat often
• Experiencing pain which prevents sleep

A sleep specialist at Resmed can check these symptoms and provide advice on the next steps such as taking a home sleep test. Speak to us today.