Snoring ? The Not So Silent Killer

A good night sleep is important for good health and longevity. How many hours of sleep should one have? - this question has been answered numerous times. The ?quantity? of sleep is mostly what is talked about. What about the ?quality? of sleep? Quality of sleep is equally important. One of the common factors adversely affecting the quality of sleep is ?sleep apnea?. Let us see what that is.

People snore because there is an obstruction to breathing while asleep. This leads to a drop in the oxygen levels in the blood during sleep. There is a decrease in supply of oxygen to the vital organs like the brain, heart and lungs. Over a period of time this results in damage at the cellular level in various organs leading to pulmonary hypertension, i.E, increase in blood pressure in the lungs, systemic hypertension and increased chances of death from heart attacks and strokes, besides a number of other problems like diminished concentration, tiredness and fatigue and a general feeling of ill health.

There have been some cases where the blood pressure has been normalized by managing the sleep apnea without anti hypertensive drugs. We came across the case of a 22 year old male, normal weight, no history of smoking, tobacco or alcohol consumption, suffering from hypertension. On further review of his case, we came across the possibility of him suffering from sleep apnea. We advised him to alter his sleeping position. After about 3 months, his blood pressure had normalized. Having said that, I would like to emphasize that by no means should any individual stop his/her medicines and such decisions are better left to doctors after adequate review.

You should be concerned if you have/ are one or more of the below:
1. Snore
2. Are overweight/ obese
3. Suffer from hypertension.
4. Hypertension occurring in young individuals
5. Case of hypertension not responding to standard medicines at standard doses.
6. Systemic hypertension with pulmonary hypertension
7. Feel tired/drowsy/have difficulty in concentrating even after a full night sleep.


The treatment of sleep apnea could be surgical or non surgical depending on the degree and the cause of sleep apnea and obstruction. Mild cases may be treated by a simple sleep position alteration and others might require CPAP ventilation during sleep (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). So the options for treatment are:
1. CPAP ventilation
2. Sleep position alteration
3. Oral orthotic devices
4. Surgery

What can you do if you snore:
1. Avoid alcohol, sedative drugs and drugs that depress respiration, at or near bed time.
2. One of the following sleeping positions might help relieve the airway obstruction and thereby take care of the sleep apnea ? sleeping on ones side or sleeping with the head end of the bed at an angle of 30- 40o from the horizontal.
3. Shed some pounds and get in shape.
4. Consult a doctor and tell him about your snoring and concern about sleep apnea.
5. Get a polysomnography done (better to get it done after proper evaluation from a doctor).
6. Try to maintain a regular sleeping schedule.