Snoring not only affects the person sleeping next to you, but it can also be a health warning, possibly indicating sleep apnea. The Consumer Council once pointed out that about 4% of men, 2% of women, and 2% of children in Hong Kong suffer from sleep apnea, with men being at higher risk than women, and most male patients being middle-aged or older. This condition can increase the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, endangering lives.
Want to know your risk of developing sleep apnea? You can refer to a risk assessment questionnaire from the "Obstructive Sleep Apnea" specialized website "StopBang.ca":
- Do you snore loudly? (Can be heard through a closed door, or your bed partner nudges you because of your snoring at night)
- Do you often feel tired or sleepy during the day?
- Has anyone observed you stopping breathing during sleep?
- Do you have high blood pressure, or are you being treated for high blood pressure?
- Is your BMI (Body Mass Index) over 30?
- Are you over 50 years old?
- Is your neck circumference over 15.7 inches (40cm)?
- Are you male?
Among the 8 questions above, if you answer "yes" to 5 to 8 questions, the risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea is "high"; if you answer "yes" to 3 to 4 questions, the risk is "medium"; if you answer "yes" to only 1 to 2 questions, the risk is "low".
Snoring does not necessarily mean sleep apnea
Dr. Li Ming-sang, a specialist in respiratory medicine in Hong Kong, once stated in an interview that snoring does not necessarily mean suffering from sleep apnea. The biggest difference between sleep apnea and ordinary snoring is that sleep apnea involves severe snoring, where the snoring sound suddenly stops, and breathing intermittently pauses, accompanied by the following symptoms:
Dr. Li Ming-sang cited research indicating that in young patients, sleep apnea is one of the main causes of high blood pressure. Long-term sleep apnea without proper control can lead to persistently high blood pressure, which can result in myocardial hypertrophy, coronary heart disease, and even stroke.
Currently, many people buy "nasal dilators" from the market to stop snoring. Dr. Li believes that, given the varying respiratory tract structures of each individual, the effectiveness depends on the location of the respiratory tract obstruction and the degree of oxygen deprivation. However, there is currently no definite evidence that "nasal dilators" can alleviate sleep apnea.
Patients with sleep apnea should undergo examinations, allowing doctors to identify the cause of severe snoring early and prescribe the right treatment to avoid the risks associated with sleep apnea.
The hket App has been fully upgraded, and TOPick has launched a series of parenting, health, entertainment, Hong Kong news, and leisure lifestyle information and videos for everyone.
https://topick.hket.com/article/3305483/%E3%80%90%E7%9D%A1%E7%9C%A0%E7%AA%92%E6%81%AF%E7%97%87%E3%80%91%E6%89%93%E9%BC%BB%E9%BC%BE%E7%AD%89%E6%96%BC%E6%82%A3%E7%9D%A1%E7%9C%A0%E7%AA%92%E6%81%AF%E7%97%87%EF%BC%9F%E3%80%801%E5%88%86%E9%90%98%E8%87%AA%E6%B8%AC%E6%82%A3%E7%97%85%E9%A2%A8%E9%9A%AA