Snoring vs Sleep Apnea: How to Tell the Difference

October 9, 2020
Man snoring next to partner

Do you snore? You might be all too familiar with complaints from your significant other about the noises coming from your side of the bed. For that reason alone, talking to a doctor about how to stop your snoring is worth the time and effort. However, addressing your snoring could do much more than bring greater peace to your household. It could spare you from the serious consequences of sleep apnea.. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the ways you can tell the difference between normal snoring and sleep apnea. We’ll also touch on a few of the treatments that may be able to help you (and your partner) sleep better at night.

“Normal” Snoring

Snoring is the sound that occurs when air movement causes tissues in the airway to vibrate while you are asleep. Normal, harmless snoring is often the result of going to bed extra-tired, drinking alcohol before bed, or having congested nasal passages. Some typical characteristics of this type of snoring include:

  • Snoring is relatively infrequent
  • It is not very loud
  • There are no  disruptions in breathing

Sleep Apnea Snoring

On the other hand, obstructive sleep apnea is a condition where the tissues in the throat block the airway at night, causing pauses in breathing. Some signs that your snoring might be related to sleep apnea include:

  • Snoring is very loud
  • It happens frequently, perhaps every night
  • At times it may stop, only to restart after several seconds
  • You often experience symptoms of poor-quality sleep, such as daytime fatigue or unpredictable moods

Solving Your Snoring

If your snoring is not associated with sleep apnea, you might be able to prevent it by improving your sleep hygiene, sleeping on your side, and taking medications for allergies or colds that cause nasal congestion.

Alternatively, if you suspect that sleep apnea is the culprit, you should seek medical consultation from a proven sleep medicine expert. Left untreated, this condition can increase your risk of hypertension, stroke, and other serious health problems. A simple and non-invasive sleep study will reveal if you have sleep apnea, and then your doctor can recommend a treatment that is customized to treat your needs.

Common ways to treat sleep apnea and its associated snoring include:

  • Oral appliance therapy. A custom-fit oral appliance gently repositions the jaw to allow for easier breathing at night.
  • Lifestyle changes. For example, losing weight may lessen the severity of sleep apnea or perhaps even eliminate it.
  • A CPAP machine. CPAP therapy uses pressurized air to keep the airway open at night. While effective, many patients find it uncomfortable and inconvenient.

Is your snoring an occasional annoyance, or is it a sign that your health is at risk? The information above  can help you guess at what the problem is, but the only way to find out for sure is to speak to a qualified medical professional that specializes in sleep medicine.

About the Author

Dr. Kenneth Mogell, a board-certified specialist in sleep medicine with over 10 years of experience treating sleep breathing disorders is the practice’s founder and primary practitioner. The practice has four South Florida locations: Boca Raton, Melbourne, Vero Beach, and Jupiter. To learn more about Florida Dental Sleep Disorders and Dr. Kenneth Mogell, contact our team at 844-294-7559.