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Snoring
is a worldwide phenomenon with estimates of over one billion people who
snore due to some sort of nasal or airway blockage. Conservative estimates
indicate that the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom represent
over 70 million snorers alone.
Research into the problems of snoring has in recent years made important
findings and yielded to the evidence of significant problems with snoring.
Findings suggest that by their early thirties, twenty percent of men snore
as compared to only five percent of women. Findings indicate a dramatic
increase as men and women reach their sixties indicating that sixty percent
of men and forty percent of women snore.
There
are obvious differences in the percentages of men and women that snore. The
reason for the difference involves the size of a person's neck, typically an
effect of being overweight. Men tend to have larger necks than women do, and
having a neck of 17 inches or larger makes it likely a person will snore.
Surveys indicate that 80 percent of men that snore do not consider
themselves to have a problem and in fact consider their spouses to be light
sleepers.
Women
that snore tend to be heavier and shorter than women that do not snore are.
Women typically snore through their noses whereas men snore through their
noses and mouths. Women are also more likely than men are to seek treatment
for snoring. Women typically snore less than men due to smaller necks and
larger air passages. Women also have a smaller uvula that makes them less
likely to snore.
Snorers
do not usually notice their own snoring and are unaware unless it is pointed
out for them. Snorers also tend to be deep, comfortable sleepers. Tonsil and
adenoid problems can be major contributors to the snoring of children,
though studies indicate that as few as six percent of all children snore.
There
is concern that the medical community does not take the area of snoring
serious enough. General practitioners typically do not ask patients about
their sleep. Studies indicate that of the 70 percent of patients that
mention sleep problems to their doctors, only about ten percent of them
attempt to seek further help. Dentists who fit patients with snoring devices
do not routinely ask patients about sleeping problems.
The
problem of snoring and related sleep disorders is not widely known to the
medical community or the public. Both require education on the subject to
orient them to this significant problem. Snoring is often considered the
first sign of a sleep disorder. Sleep apnea is the most significant problem
of those who snore. It is a potential danger for the person and those around
them as sleep disorders represent a significant cause of vehicle accidents.
Of those suffering from sleep apnea, 70 percent report having been in at
least one car accident. Recent studies indicate that more vehicle accidents
are caused by sleep disorders than by drunk driving. |
