Prolonged snoring can cause depression

Snoring with sleep apnea causes insomnia, daytime fatigue, headaches, memory loss, and in the long term can lead to depression if left untreated.

The above information was shared by Associate Professor, Dr. Chu Thi Hanh, Head of the Respiratory Department of Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, at the online consultation program: "Snoring: Diagnosis and treatment with modern techniques" organized by Tam Anh General Hospital.

Associate Professor Hanh emphasized that snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are considered "silent killers". Apnea episodes cause patients to suddenly wake up many times, causing insomnia, fatigue upon waking, headaches, loss of concentration, memory loss, and decreased sexual ability. As a result, patients are susceptible to stress and emotional disorders.

Associate Professor Hanh said that she has received many cases of prolonged stress due to sleep apnea leading to depression. The more stressed the patient is, the more likely they are to turn to alcohol and tobacco, which inadvertently aggravates sleep apnea, creating a vicious cycle. Therefore, patients need to detect and treat the root cause of sleep apnea to avoid other consequences of the disease.

According to Dr. Phung Thi Thom, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tam Anh General Hospital, polysomnography is the "golden method" to diagnose the cause of snoring, especially to detect sleep apnea. At Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, the polysomnography machine has 41 comprehensive measurement channels, including electroencephalography, electrocardiography, electromyography, blood oxygen, nasal airflow, chest, abdominal, and leg movements, thereby providing complete data to help doctors accurately diagnose sleep apnea.

Snoring can be eliminated almost 100% if treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine under the supervision and guidance of a doctor. This device maintains constant positive pressure in the upper airway through a small mask that fits over the nose or the nose and mouth. By increasing the size of the upper airway, CPAP helps prevent the narrowing or collapse of the upper airway that causes snoring.

[Doctor Phung Thi Thom is adjusting the CPAP continuous positive airway pressure machine for a patient. Photo: BVCC — Doctor Phung Thi Thom is adjusting the CPAP continuous positive airway pressure machine for a patient. Photo: *BVCC*

Dr. Duong Dinh Luong, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tam Anh General Hospital, said that in some cases, patients are intolerant to ventilators or have abnormalities in the nasopharynx such as enlarged tonsils, deviated nasal septum, low soft palate, narrow pharyngeal space, anatomical abnormalities in the maxillofacial region in children with congenital malformations, etc., surgery is needed. Currently, tonsillectomy with Plasma electric knife; adenoidectomy with Coblator system; uvula and pharyngeal reconstruction with the support of Coblator and laser (LAUP) ... are being performed routinely at Tam Anh General Hospital, helping to cure snoring in these cases.

Snoring is a sound produced during sleep due to the vibration of soft tissues in the nasopharynx. The sound ranges from very soft to loud enough to affect people around. This condition can occur in any subject. In particular, the elderly; obese; using alcohol or sedatives; chronic nasal congestion or obstruction; small jaw; have abnormal structures of the nasopharynx such as large tonsils, deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps, large tongue, enlarged soft palate, narrow lateral pharynx, ... are at high risk of snoring.

Dr. Thom said that about 75% of people who snore have sleep apnea, but only about 9-10% of them are diagnosed and treated. The doctor explained that because snoring does not predict sleep apnea, it is easy for patients to be subjective. Most cases of the disease are not detected early until abnormal breathing or snoring attracts the attention of the person sleeping next to them. Many OSA symptoms can be caused by other health problems such as ear, nose and throat diseases, structural deformities of the nose and throat area, etc. Therefore, this condition cannot be diagnosed based on symptoms alone.

Mai Hoai

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