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Old Age and Snoring. - By: Renee A Muller, Posted on: 2008-03-20

Snoring is the creation of unpleasing noises during the night while sleeping that is caused due to obstruction of the free flow of the air passages. The obstructed passage is in the region pertaining to the back of the mouth and the nose, and the proper flow of the air is not allowed during breathing process. The collapsible spot is where the upper throat and the tongue meet are the uvula and the soft plate which vibrates creating noise. Snoring occurs when these soft tissues strike against each other with the flow of air and causes noisy vibrations.

Snoring can sometimes be a moderate problem or it can be considered a very serious problem. Snoring may cause several disorders and it can affect women during the pregnancy. It is directly related to causing sleepless nights and making a person become very irritable during the day due to sleep deprivation. Snoring can also be in the dire zones of sleep apnea, and this could call for a sleep specialist.

Some of the reasons for snoring are structural and may be due to narrow jaws, enlarged tongue, or tonsils, enlarged adenoids, a more than normal thick soft palate, a crooked septum or even small nasal passages can cause of snoring. Sometimes, dental implants can also on occasions start snoring issues and a physician or sleep specialist should be consulted if any of these causes are directly snoring related. We all change with age while some of us, so with age, physical problems are able to exacerbate over time into bigger physical issues and eventually cause physical snoring issues.

As we get older and physically change occur that may become a problem with snoring over time, because of muscles of tongue, soft tissues of the back nose and throat area becoming softer and more relaxed overall. As these muscles become weaker with age, the snoring can be more frequent and even overtime move into the danger zone of one of the three main sleep apnea stages that can cause very serious medical concerns for eventual deterioration of your health and wellbeing.

There are some major snoring factors are directly to outside causes and affect the individual, but can also be controlled. These are issues with allergies and sinus problems, consumption of alcohol, sedatives, and excessive or even regular smoking, are all major factors in the disruption of normal sleep patterns that can eventually lead to snoring over time. These factors decrease the lung capacities and directly cause irregular breathing. This is especially true for those who continue with poor health habits even as they age.

Snoring which is extremely loud and then suddenly stops with broken up frequent episodes of short silence to only start again is known as sleep apnea. Very serious episodes can last up to ten seconds and can occur more than seven times per hour. People who are suffering from sleep apnea experience such serious episodes from 40 to 300 times per a night. These issues are to be taken very seriously because they are directly tied in with elevated blood pressures and even enlargement of heart may occur. Sleep apnea can become worse with age and are to be discussed with a physician, because of the direct health damage over time.

Article Source: http://www.girlarticles.com

Renee Moller writes articles on many health care related topics including snoring and sleep apnea and snore treatment