Statistics show that snoring is a symptom of a major breathing disorder that can lead to more serious medical conditions like sleep apnea or other health risks. Most people exhibit snoring at various times in their lives but it does not become a serious problem to all. And the frequency of occurrences varies as well.
Some people start experiencing snoring in childhood because their tonsils or adenoids are enlarged and causing their air passages to close up thereby resulting in snoring. Often if it becomes serious enough it will lead to surgery to remove those organs. This usually corrects the problem and they might not suffer further from it or it might just be alleviated so that it is not as serious.
The people who have the most frequent serious snoring problems include the following:
Men and women over the age of fifty
Post menopausal women
People who work alternative shifts, i.e., night shift or four day work weeks
People under a lot of stress or are depressed
Alcoholics
Adults who suffer from serious sleep apnea and have a tendency to fall asleep during the day and in inappropriate places like work or church
Research has shown that only ten percent of men and five percent of women snore at 30 years of age but those figures alter dramatically as they approach the age of sixty and above. The figures then change to sixty percent of men and forty percent of women who suffer from snoring or more serious sleep apnea.
Snoring leads to more serious health problems like irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia or high blood pressure leading to heart attacks. Obstruction of the tongue in the air passageway which causes snoring can also cause death if the tongue completely covers the passage. It is therefore imperative that if you snore you should seek assistance from a physician to determine the extent of the problem.