If I Snore, Do I Have Sleep Apnea?

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Lots of people snore. This is often treated as a humorous personal flaw, or, at worst, an inconvenience for the snoring individual’s sleep partner. In pop culture, snoring is often used as part of comedic scenes.

However, chronic snoring isn’t a laughing matter. For Pittsburgh-area residents who find themselves dealing with frequent snoring issues, the snoring might be a symptom of a serious condition: sleep apnea.

This leads to a simple question: does snoring, by definition, mean you have sleep apnea?

The short answer is no. Loud, chronic snoring is indeed a common symptom of sleep apnea. However, while some estimates say that 50 percent of Americans snore, approximately 1 in 15 suffer from sleep apnea. So, obviously, not everyone with snoring has sleep apnea.

You should also be aware of the fact that not everyone with sleep apnea snores. So if you find yourself dealing with chronic daytime fatigue in spite of what seems like a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea, even if you don’t snore.

Still, you should be aware of the connection between snoring and sleep apnea. If you snore frequently, if your sleep partner tells you that your snoring is loud and disruptive, you should speak with us about your situation to determine if you have sleep apnea.

If you live in or around the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area and you want to discuss sleep apnea, please call Dentonics today at 412-487-6910 for a consultation.

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