I am Dr. James Stewart, and I am here to tell you that you can start off the new year getting the good night’s sleep that you (and your spouse) have been missing because of your snoring. The truth is, your snoring habit may be much more serious than you thought.
You may have sleep apnea, a medical sleep disorder often accompanied by snoring. I treat obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when soft tissues in the throat or mouth block free airflow while a person sleeps. The body cannot take in sufficient oxygen when this happens, and breathing stops for 10 seconds or longer until the brain wakes the body to reinitiate normal breathing. This can happen multiple times during a sleep session and interrupts the deep REM sleep required to refuel the body.