Snoring

What a simple, funny thing that snoring is. Kids think that it is something funny that daddy does. Wives, may even joke to their friends about how loud their husbands snore. It affects approximately 44% of men and 30% of women. The snoring sound occurs when there is upper airway resistance that is caused by the narrowing of the airway passage between the free edge of the soft palate and the back of the tongue. The free edge of the soft palate will vibrate as the air passes over it causing the snoring sound.

While most snoring is normal, there is one kind of snoring that can have serious effects......Sleep Apnea.  Sleep apnea can have several different symptoms and can cause many problems. It can even be fatal, if left untreated, especially a particular form referred to as Pickwickian Syndrome.

The Pickwickian syndrome may be defined as hypoventilation due to obesity. This is where there is an elevated arterial carbon dioxide pressure in the arterial blood, with decreased oxygen tension. Since this is a chronic condition, the body tries to counter act the situation by increasing the number of red blood cells in the blood, in an attempt to compensate for the decreased amount of oxygen in the arterial blood. The main course of treatment is geared, ultimately, towards helping the patient loose their excess weight. The reason being that the excessive amount of weight around the patients abdomen restricts the lungs due to the actual weight of the fat. Also, certain drugs have shown some help, such as medroxyprogesterone. The Pickwickian syndrome appears to occur in some obese individuals because of a combination of a decreased ventilatory drive in the brain, in conjunction with with the mechanical load caused by obesity.

Go here and take our Sleep Quiz to see if you are at risk for sleep apnea.