Snoring can seem as something harmless which only affects the person sleeping with the one who snores, but this is actually not so: Snoring can become a serious health problem.
Snoring is produce by a partial blocking of air passage while sleeping. Muscles, tongue and palate are relaxed, thus physically diminishing the passage of air into the trachea.
Around 50% of the population snore.
All this can indicate a more serious problem, as Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). This is caused by a total blocking of the air passage and breath is stopped for 10 seconds or more. This can happen more or less frequently during the night and the consequences of such lack of oxygen can be very serious as years go by. If this problem is not treated, it raises the risk of problems such as hypertension, heart attack, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, etc.
What symptoms can alert you to this problem? Snoring, tiredness, feeling of poor sleep, lack of concentration, drowsiness, sleep-driving, depression, memory loss, etc.
This problem must be properly diagnosed and can be treated, among other ways, by a Mandibular Advance Device (MAD). This is a tailored device used by the patient while sleeping. It minimises the problem of snoring and apnoeas.
