Snoring: More Than Just An Annoyance

Snoring Can Be A Serious Health Concern For Some

(CBS)  From the Three Stooges to Popeye, snoring has been a subject for comedy, reports "Sunday Morning" contributor Rita Braver, unless you're the one who's doing it.

Which is why snorers like Jerry Chiles seek out doctors like Samuel Potolicchio, who runs the Sleep Center at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

"I remember young couples coming in, and the guy said, 'I'll put my head on the block. Give me any surgery — anything — but please, I have to stop this snoring, otherwise she's going to leave me,'" Dr. Potolicchio says.

The physiological reason for snoring is simple. It's caused when air passages get blocked due to weak throat muscles or swollen tissues, causing the tonsils, adenoids or uvula to vibrate. Men snore more than women — especially as they get older. Being overweight, drinking too much alcohol and smoking can all lead to snoring, but the biggest factor is genetics.

"If your mom or dad snored, that probably means that there's a good chance that you're going to snore?" Braver asks.

"There's a 50 percent chance, exactly," Dr. Potolicchio says.

So how prevalent is snoring? Well, a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that some 59 percent of all Americans admit to some amount of snoring. But guess what — 67 percent of those polled say their partner snores, though it's not just the roommate who suffers.

Dr. Mark Sanders runs the Sleep Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

"Most importantly, snoring can be an indicator of a more serious health-related issue of sleep apnea," he says.

Dr. Sanders says snorers diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea have repeated episodes throughout the night when they actually stop breathing for a few seconds at a time. They might not even be conscious of it, but it leaves them exhausted and prone to accidents, even falling asleep at the wheel the way one of his patients Carl Lander did.

"When the car stopped and I came to, my — the window was — my windshield was shattered," Lander says. "The motor was on fire. The doors were not open, and I had to crawl out through a window.

For more than 20 years, Lander has been using various versions of a contraption known as a C-Pap for continuous positive airway pressure, which keeps the airways open during sleep.

"'Cause after one night of sleep, it was that I was able to function like I never thought—like I haven't functioned for years," he says.

There are other purported ways to stop snoring as well, including a variety of oral devices and even special throat sprays and pillows that may or may not work — sometimes surgery to firm up the throat muscles or shorten the uvula.

"The effort is in order to reduce the amount of tissue that is likely to vibrate," Dr. Sanders says.

Dr. Sanders says it's just since the 1970's that researchers have really begun to understand snoring and sleep deprivation. There's even emerging evidence it may be linked to diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. There are now some 3,000 clinics in the U.S.

"We are in fact a country with increasing risk factors for snoring. We are getting heavier, and as a nation, we are getting older," Dr. Sanders says.

So is there any good news? Well, it turns out not everyone needs a sophisticated cure for snoring.

"And it's probably worth noting that one of the oldest therapies for snoring and sleep apnea is the elbow," Dr. Sanders says. "The elbow of the partner inserted to the side of the rib cage of the snorer, or the person with sleep apnea."

[lindakd-2009]

I do hope that in the not too distant future you air a story which focuses more on sleep apnea, and I hope that you consult the American Sleep Apnea Association as a resource for your information.

Sleep apnea is not a laughing matter, it is serious, debilitating and life threatening. People can die from this condition if it is untreated.

Your CBS Sunday Morning program was a special health edition. Snoring is not a health issue, but sleep apnea is. You would be surprised just how many people you know who have this condition but have never mentioned it. Sleep apnea rivals diabetes and other major conditions for prevelance throughout this and other countries. I hope that when you do another health issue, that you focus on sleep apnea for the serious condition it really is.

[sleepapneaed]

Thank you for airing the piece on snoring and mentioning sleep apnea, a condition that affects more than 18 million Americans, young and old. There are a number of treatment options for sleep apnea and Dr. Sanders mention of positional therapy(changing position due to elbow in the ribs) can be effective in the mild cases. But when someone has moderate to severe sleep apnea, as is likely the case with Carl Lander, the CPAP can mean the difference between life and death. Twenty-five years ago when CPAP was first developed it could have been seen as a contraption. Today the devices are far from contraptions... they are sophisticated machines, designed to make treatment more comfortable for the person needing to wear the mask. The CPAP is making positive difference in the lives of many who use it every night and whenever they sleep. For additional information on the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea, including personal accounts of people whose were changed by treatment, visit the American Sleep Apnea Association web site %u2013 sleepapnea.org.
Edward Grandi
Executive Director
American Sleep Apnea Association

[dianevk]

Good Morning,
As usual I watched the Sunday Morning Show, but have never made a comment about a shows story until now. The SNORING issue was only partially covered, what about sleeping with PETS who SNORE. I have 2 beagles and 3 cats, one of my beagles; Pete snores so loudly at times he keeps me awake. Sally, the other beagle does not snore. They both share/split a two foot lengthwise strip of my queen-size bed, dividing each beagle with a pillow. Sally now has to sleep in the upper section nearer to the top half of my bed because Pete snores, (Sally usually picks which end she wants each night, Pete waits and takes the remaining). So I nudge Pete with my leg, cover his head with a pillow, as I do myself and if all else fails yell "Pete stop snoring"(he understands Pete and stop) so he wakes up and moves little or just raises his head to see what's going on. Quickly I try to fall asleep before he does in hopes to begin a deep realm sleep oblivious to any sound. This is an every night occurrence. Please help me!
OKAY, don't tell me to kick him out of bed, he would be devastated and I couldn't bare the emotional pain. So what can I do??? And, don't tell me you don't have an answer for pets snoring because in the same show you had acupuncture for pets, it's understood some pets are considered as "children". And yes, I'm the only human in this family!
Waiting to hear............
Thanks,
Diane