The doctor told about the causes of snoring and the dangerous consequences

Chronic snoring is common in people with obesity, diseases of the thyroid gland, nasopharynx and oropharynx. Irina Volgina, Associate Professor of the Department of Therapy at the Medical Faculty of the State University of Education, told Izvestia on May 7.

According to her, it is usually not the patients themselves who complain about snoring, but their closest relatives who cannot sleep and who are concerned about the health of their relatives. But sometimes there are situations when a person wakes up because of this.

"Chronic snoring is common in patients with obesity, thyroid, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal diseases. Heart problems are often found in snoring patients, and snoring often leads to coronary heart disease. This is due to the fact that during snoring, airway obstruction and even respiratory arrest may occur. All this can lead to disruption of oxygen supply and even death," the expert explained.

She clarified that oxygen starvation can cause the body to react to such a condition as severe stress, resulting in the synthesis of hormones and anti-inflammatory cytokines that cause metabolic disorders and insulin resistance. As a result, type 2 diabetes may develop.

"In addition, such patients may develop any conditions associated with hypoxia. These are primarily vascular brain lesions (stroke, chronic cerebral ischemia) that can lead to dementia," Volgina added.

The expert noted that curvature of the nasal septum, adenoids, malignant and benign formations of the nasopharynx, oropharynx and larynx can lead to snoring. Snoring also appears in people with acute and chronic inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx, oropharynx and larynx. At the same time, without additional examinations, it is almost impossible to determine how dangerous snoring is for a particular person.

"The symptoms of respiratory arrest are especially dangerous in terms of symptoms. In children, the most common cause is adenoids and developmental disorders of the nasopharynx. There is no difference between men and women in the causes and consequences of snoring," Volgina said.

The doctor clarified that lifestyle correction is of the greatest importance in treatment — dosed physical activity, weight loss, as well as correction of the sleeping place — the choice of orthopedic mattress and pillow. In addition, there is a specific treatment — CPAP therapy, in which air is supplied under increased pressure. However, this therapy will not be effective in the case of organic pathology of ENT organs, which can only be corrected by surgical methods, the expert emphasized.

Earlier, on April 10, Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, a neurologist and expert at the Hemotest laboratory, told Izvestia that using devices with screens before falling asleep can significantly worsen sleep quality, since the specific light from them affects the brain especially strongly, even if the screen brightness is turned down to a minimum and a "night theme" is used. According to her, it's better to put your gadgets aside an hour or two before bedtime.