OET Listening Parte C: Snoring: Causes and Effects

Hello, I'm James Tradello, a sleep physician who specializes in upper airway physiology.

While snoring can be frustrating for those who have to listen to it,

it is also known to contribute to a range of health problems.

There's now also an emerging line of research that suggests snoring may directly contribute to serious cardiovascular health problems.

When we go to sleep, the muscles of the upper airway relax,

causing it to become floppy and partially collapse.

This occurs to some extent in all of us.

However, in some people the airway is excessively narrowed,

particularly at the level of the tongue and uvula or soft palate.

As we breathe in, we produce suction pressure to draw air into the lungs.

This further narrows the airway,

similar to when a person sucks too hard on a straw,

and can cause upper airway tissues such as the soft palate to vibrate or flutter,

similar to a flag in the wind.

This movement creates the noise of snoring.

There are many triggers for snoring.

If a person doesn't normally snore, alcohol can be a key trigger as it blocks the nose and can contribute to relaxing of the airway muscles.

And if a person already snores, alcohol is likely to make their snoring a lot louder.

Being overweight increases fat around the neck, compressing and narrowing the throat.

But thin people do snore too,

and many who are overweight do not.

A blocked nose due to a cold, allergies, polyps or anatomical abnormality

creates the need for greater suction pressure to draw air into the lungs when breathing,

which further narrows the airway.

Mouth opening often occurs when the nose is blocked during sleep,

which itself can cause snoring.

Via airway, anatomy and pressure changes.

Sleeping on the back contributes to collapse of the airway,

as gravity pushes the tongue and soft palate towards the back of the throat.

Enlarged tonsils narrow the airway and are a primary cause of snoring in children.

In terms of the effects that snoring can have on a person's well-being,

it can create a dry mouth, sore throat, or headache,

and can leave a person feeling tired.

It can play significant strains on personal relationships,

particularly a person's bed partner,

but also those sleeping in an adjacent room or even sometimes on the other side of the house.

Snoring forces many couples to sleep in separate bedrooms, disrupting intimate bonds.

Snorers are often embarrassed to sleep among others,

promoting anxiety and hindering their social relationships.

Sleep disruption caused by snoring can make someone and others cranky and irritable during the day,

but also may lead to impaired memory, concentration and learning difficulties,

and obesity and reduced immunity.

More serious consequences include snoring as a possible marker for obstructive sleep apnea,

a disorder where the upper airway repeatedly closes during sleep

and breathing stops for at least 10 seconds at a time.

Obstructions to breathing can sometimes last for more than a minute

and occur over 100 times an hour,

starving the body of oxygen and fragmenting sleep.

Obstructive sleep apnea sufferers are often excessively sleepy and at greater risk of car and industrial accidents,

and cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

Over the last decade, research has suggested heavy snoring itself may be a direct cause of cardiovascular complications,

particularly a condition known as carotid artery atherosclerosis.

When affected by atherosclerosis, fatty deposits known as plaques form in the wall of the artery.

Over time, they can cause the blood vessel to narrow and limit blood flow to the brain.

One study has shown that snoring vibrations are transmitted to the carotid artery,

which can damage its wall and lead to the development of atherosclerosis.

Subsequently, snorers may rupture a formed plaque,

resulting in pieces of the plaque moving through the bloodstream and blocking small vessels in the brain.

However, additional research is required to bring further clarity to this hypothesis.

Given the multiple causes of snoring,

there are numerous potential treatments available that work for some people, but not others.

Recommended lifestyle changes that work for some patients may include

avoiding alcohol before bed and avoiding sleep deprivation,

losing excess weight and stopping smoking.

There are several medical treatments for snoring that require professional advice.

If you treat patients that snore regularly,

it is highly recommended they see a sleep and respiratory doctor for diagnosis

and to determine the right kind of treatment.