Snoring loud and often, together with too much daytime sleepiness, may be signs of sleep apnea, a very common sleep disorder that can also be dangerous. The most common type of sleep apnea happens when your breathing stops during sleep. It can stop for about 10 seconds to as long as a minute. You wake up trying to breathe. This stop-and-start cycle of waking to breathe can repeat hundreds of times a night. The danger is that one time you may not wake up to breathe. If this happens, you can die.
You are likely to feel sleepy during the day if you have this problem. People with sleep apnea tend to be overweight. It is more common among men than women.
Sleep apnea is usually treated this way:
» The most common treatment is a device called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) that pushes air through the airway.
» Avoid beer, wine, liquor, tobacco, and sleeping pills.
» Your doctor may suggest that you lose weight.
» In some cases, you may need surgery to make the airway bigger.
For more information on sleep disorders, see http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/sleep.html.
Source U.S. FDA
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