Dr. Joseph: Snoring is a threat to your life; here's why

“He died in his sleep. Isn’t that how most of us want to go?” asked my sleep medicine colleague, rhetorically and forlorn.

Although it had been years since her father unexpectedly passed away, her frustration was still evident that he never sought treatment for the seemingly benign condition that ultimately led to his demise.

He snored when he slept and it killed him.

To clarify, it was not snoring itself that killed my colleague’s father, but the ensuing detrimental effects that years of snoring had on the rest of his body.

Snoring is just a sound that is produced by the obstruction of airflow by various tissues when one sleeps.

Snoring produces a sonorous, incessant, and annoying melody that intermittently persists throughout the night and often leads to disrupted sleep for all bed partners or pets that accompany the afflicted in the sleep space.

Many of us may have had a cold or some other transient respiratory malady at one point in our lives that led to a temporary bout of snoring.

However, it is when snoring becomes a regular occurrence that a more serious condition -- obstructive sleep apnea -- needs to be considered. If you suffer from chronic snoring or persistent daytime sleepiness, a serious conversation with your doctor might be in order.

For most of human history, snoring was regarded as a mere annoyance or inconvenience for bed partners. It has been portrayed in literature as a comical or endearing trait.

For instance, in Charles Dickens’ "The Pickwick Papers," a description of sleep apnea is actually rendered by the protagonist when describing an overweight messenger boy who Dickens candidly refers to as “the fat boy” in classic Dickensian fashion.

“Damn that boy," said the old gentleman, "he's gone to sleep again."

"Very extraordinary boy, that," said Mr. Pickwick; "does he always sleep in this way?"

"Sleep!" said the old gentleman, "he's always asleep. Goes on errands fast asleep, and snores as he waits at table."

"How very odd!" said Mr. Pickwick. 

"Ah! odd indeed," returned the old gentleman; "I'm proud of that boy -- wouldn't part with him on any account -- he's a natural curiosity!"

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It was not until the later portion of the 20th century that sleep apnea was first named and designated as an illness.

Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that has been shown in some studies to affect greater than 20 percent of our adult population, can have potentially lethal effects on the body over period of time.

Such effects include the development of abnormal heart rhythm, stroke, heart failure, fatty liver disease and diabetes.  

Common symptoms associated with sleep apnea include daytime sleepiness, poor concentration, irritability and morning headaches.

It is strongly associated with obesity and weight loss can be very helpful. However, sleep apnea can also occur in people who are not obese and surprisingly, in people who do not snore.

The economic burden of sleep apnea is substantial. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine calculated the national costs of untreated sleep apnea to be $150 billion.

This is not surprising given the fact that poor sleep leads to substantially diminished productivity and absenteeism on the job, increased risk of motor vehicle accidents and all of the other detrimental health effects noted above.

The primary treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is called Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, or CPAP.

CPAP treatment occurs when the afflicted wears a plastic mask that fits over their nose and mouth, or alternatively, a device that only fits over their nose, when they sleeps.

Throughout the night, the device blows air into the airways in order to maintain airway patency throughout the night, preventing any obstruction of airflow inside the afflicted. 

Patients report that though CPAP can take some time to get used to, once benefits of treatment are observed, they find it hard to not use CPAP treatment on a regular basis.

So much of our healthcare efforts are focused on the two-thirds of our lives we spend awake. While this seems understandable, ignoring the other third of that takes place while we sleep is a grave mistake. Sleep apnea is easily diagnosed and there are many effective treatments for sleep apnea. Please speak with your primary care provider if you believe that you may have it.

Dr. Louis Joseph is a Psychiatrist who has worked in leadership positions at some of the world’s premier medical institutions. He is an ongoing expert advisor to Florida Medicaid on topics pertaining to Mental Illness and Integrated Care. Dr.  Joseph holds a health policy fellowship from the George Washington University. The opinions in this article are his own and do not reflect that of his employer.