THE SOUND OF SILENCE

Female snoring is on the rise and can be a sign of a deeper problem or a severe health condition

Snoring isn’t just an issue for men. Women snore as loudly as men, and the health hazards are the same. Snoring loudly could be an indication of sleep apnea, which leads to an earlier impairment of cardiac function. So, why is it commonly ignored or overlooked?

TABOO ATTACHED TO SNORING

10–15% of women snore but do not discuss their snoring problems with doctors due to inhibitions and a lack of information about snoring-related health risks. “Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is frequent in women but very much underdiagnosed compared to men because women have different symptoms. Snoring, gasping, and coughing while sleeping are common signs of OSA. However, in addition to typical symptoms, women may have sleeplessness, depression, and morning headaches,” says Dr Ramanaprasad V.V., Consultant Interventional Pulmonologist and Sleep Specialist, KIMS Hospital, “Sleep apnea can raise the risk of asthma, atrial fibrillation, malignancies, chronic renal disease, cognitive and behavioural issues, and diseases of the heart and blood vessels.”

HORMONES’ ROLE

OSA can manifest differently in men and women because of hormones, physical appearance, and how the body regulates breath “Women may be less likely to h non-rem sleep and more like symptoms during ra ment (REM) sleep REM accounts of total sleep ti age Apnea Hyp (AHI) in wom lower than in m an appropriate osa problemati Ramanaprasad V V

SNORING – A MEDICAL ISSUE

The medical community ha lined the importance of sleep the detrimental effects of one’s health.

Dr Jagdish Chaturvedi, a expert, adds, “It is past time fo treating snoring disorders wi dures. In the long run, disreg tor’s snoring instructions health effects.”