Doctors Stress Warning Signs in Nocturnal Racket : Snorers Invite Domestic Discord, Illness

It keeps millions of people awake each night while others sleep, it strains countless marriages, and it can signal life-threatening medical problems--but doctors say snoring can usually be controlled with proper treatment.

The word snore comes from a Middle English term that means “to snort.” The characteristic rattle and wheeze generally occurs in the deepest stages of sleep when the jaw falls open and the breath rushing through the mouth causes the soft tissues of the throat to vibrate.

“My husband snores, my son snores, my dog snores and I snore--we have arguments all the time about who is the most obnoxious,” Roanoke astrologer and printer’s devil Rosie Harris said.

“Sometimes our house sounds like it’s in the middle of a black hole or a constant hurricane. I usually try to fall asleep first so I don’t have to listen.”

80 Decibels in Husky Snore

Research shows a big bass snore can reach a noise level of 80 decibels. By comparison, federal safety standards require factory workers to wear earplugs at 85 decibels, and a jackhammer generates only about 100.

Studies indicate that nearly half of all adults snore occasionally, and about one in four has a chronic problem that may be caused by dangerously obstructed breathing passages.

Males are the worst offenders, and the problem is accentuated by obesity and age. Alcohol and drugs, used as sleeping aids by some snorers, may actually make the noise worse by relaxing the muscles that hold the jaw closed.

Many otherwise loving couples say they have to sleep separately to sleep at all. Lawyers and marriage counselors list snoring as a contributing factor in many divorces.

“Snoring can take the magic out of a marriage,” said Dr. Jack Eberhart--an eye, ear, nose and throat specialist from Martinsville, Va. In one recent hospital study, 18 of 83 snorers surveyed confessed to making so much racket they frequently drove their mates from the bedchamber.

Get Feelings Hurt

Dean Foster, psychologist and director of the sleep laboratory at Virginia Military Institute, said that while snorers can’t hear themselves, they often get their feelings hurt by constant criticism.

“No one wants to be viewed as the champion purveyor of unfortunate and ugly noises, that kind of self-image can breed trauma,” Foster said. “If your wife thinks of you as an all-night frog it can create psychological problems.”

Dr. Ole Renick, a Roanoke surgeon who performs throat lifts and lengthens jaws to cure nocturnal noisemakers, said many people, including physicians, underestimate the potential dangers.

“People who snore very loudly, the kind who make the roof shake, may be suffering from an airway obstruction,” Renick said. “Some actually stop breathing for a minute or longer.”

The struggle to breathe usually causes the sleeper to toss and turn and ruins sleep patterns. Renick said chronic snorers have been known to fall asleep at work or behind the wheel.

‘Can Suffer Brain Damage’

“A patient who does not breathe for several minutes each night can suffer brain damage over a period of time,” Renick said. “A patient who has heart disease and bad circulation to begin with, if he stops breathing often enough, his arterial oxygen could be decreased and a small shift could put him in danger of a heart attack or stroke.”

A person who wakes up frequently with chest pains may blame it on indigestion because circulation improves when he sits up and the pain disappears, Renick said.

“There may even be a correlation between snoring and the high number of hospital admissions that occur during the night--especially with the elderly,” Eberhart said.

Doctors can perform sleep studies to check oxygen levels and circulation. As the potential dangers of snoring have become more widely known, some health insurance companies are now providing coverage for medical treatment.

“It should not be disregarded as though there is nothing you can do about it,” Eberhart said. “It can be a lethal problem; snoring can be hazardous to your health.”