“Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.” If you don’t want the second part of Anthony Burgess’ quote to be your life motto, focus on the difference between snoring and sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea and snoring: the difference
A study showed that 59% of the world’s population claimed their partner’s snore and 30% of them suffer sleep apnea. Snoring is a problem that might stem from various issues, but sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that requires careful medical focus.
Spotting the difference between sleep apnea and snoring will help you alleviate the problems and wipe them out as the treatments to each are different. Here, we’ll explain the difference and what measures you should take. Sleep apnea and snoring are noisy nuisances that affect many aspects of our lives, causing:
- Day-time drowsiness
- Difficulties in concentration
- Memory loss
- Headaches
- Dry throat
- Irritability
Snoring and sleep apnea are strongly linked as snoring is the main sign of OSA. But the only difference between snoring and obstructive sleep apnea is the severity of the problem. You can snore but not suffer OSA, yet you can’t have OSA if you don’t snore!
As soon as you find yourself gasping, breathing heavily, and experiencing obstructed breathing that can last up to 1 minute, it’s undoubtedly the signs of sleep apnea. In case it’s allergy season, or you catch a cold, don’t worry, take care of your sleep with these home remedies for snoring.
Knowing the difference between snoring and sleep apnea helps you detect the disease at its primary stage. Your bed partner might tell you even much more about it by nudging you throughout the night. You can also take into account the symptoms mentioned above to be sure about the existence of your sleep problem.
To discover more:
- Take a polysomnography test in which experts record and monitor your sleep patterns;
- See your doctor or a sleep specialist. Many snorers refer to a doctor after a sleep test. You can also write about your symptoms or sleep patterns if you can remember them. It’ll help a doctor compare sleep apnea vs snoring symptoms;
- Monitor your sleep patterns with Goodsomnia Lab snore recorder app to distinguish regular snoring vs sleep apnea.
Don’t forget snoring is not always a sign of sleep apnea, but at least you can now discern between sleep apnea and snoring.
