| 
The Sleep Disorders
Dental Society (SDDS) in Pennsylvania likens the apnoea blockage to
us trying to drink through a straw that's stuck in ice-cream; the harder
you suck, the flatter the straw becomes. The airway obstruction won't
clear until the brain's oxygen level falls low enough to partially wake
the sleeper.
The
journal "Stroke" recently published a research paper on a
group of snorers treated at the University Hospital in Freiberg, Germany.
"The
researchers found that, during heavy snoring, these soft tissues and
tongue momentarily block breathing altogether, and that there is a significant
fall in the blood pressure in the brain. Reduced blood flow in the principal
arteries in the brain could, say the researchers, result in a stroke."
Even
if apnoea is not present, the sleep quality of snorers and those around
them can be affected by snoring, contributing to the likelihood of accidents
caused by tiredness the following day. |
