Stop Snoring Now!

Dr. Donohue
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My sweetheart snores so loudly that it upsets both his and my sleep. How do you help someone with this terrible problem?—F.F. DEAR F.F.: Snoring results from the vibration of loose and redundant tissues at the back of the mouth and in the throat. It’s the same mechanism by which the reed of a wind instrument produces music, except that snoring isn’t music.
Naga – The Snoring Machine

Is it sleep apnea?

OK, first I was wondering of the symptoms of sleep apnea, like fatigue in the mornings, headaches, etc.

Second, I was wondering if it was possible for me to have sleep apnea but not ever remember waking up. Also, my boyfriend says he doesn’t notice anything but he always falls asleep before me and sleeps very heavily.

Additional: I used to snore and my dr. said it was highly likely I had OBSTRUCTIVE apnea, my throat was blocked by my tonsils. I had them removed but the fatigue, headaches, symptoms, etc. haven’t gone away at all.

What is the name for the apnea that is caused by a malfunction of your brain? Is it possible for me to have that type?
—additional: no, I am not overweight but do endure high levels of stress

All the above are great answers. What you need to do is ask your doctor to refer you to a sleep disorder clinic for assessment. ‘Apnea’ actually means a period where you stop breathing. You have a ’sleep-over- hooked up to a bunch of wires and your sleep is closely monitered by computers. That’s the only was to find out for sure. It’s not uncomfortable and is actually quite interesting. It’s very important that you get your condition properly assessed because if you don’t do anything at all you could have major health problems or even die. Heart attacks, strokes, nervous disorders, etc. You could even fall asleep at the wheel of your car and get in a very serious accident. When I went for my sleep study they found that during a 7-hour sleep I stopped breathing (apneas) almost 500 times, once for as long as 50 seconds. For me it’s OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) … that’s the most common kind. Since then (8 years) I use a CPAP machine when I sleep (continuous positive air pressure). Awkward at first, but I got used to it very quickly. Have a good look at sleep.com for lots of information. Please don’t try to diagnose yourself … see a sleep specialist because your life may depend on it. Good luck!!

obstructive sleep apnoea 43 seconds heart stops for 10 secs