I believe most are well aware of what snoring is, at least from the practical standpoint. Snoring alone is a common (100 million Americans) and annoying disorder yet it is benign and non-fatal. Having said that, snoring can be a precurser or a symptom of a more serious underlying disorder, "Sleep Apnea".
To better understand these disorders, think of the airway as a tube of particular diameter whereby air/oxygen passes from the mouth to the lungs at a certain speed or velocity. There are certain factors such as obesity, structural anomalies etc. that cause a narrowing of the airway thus forcing that same volume of air under normal conditions to enter the mouth/lungs at a much higher velocity. It is this incease in speed that causes the soft tissue at the back of the throat to flutter or vibate, hense snoring.
"Sleep Apnea" is an exacerbation of snoring whereby the airway not only narrows but completely closes for 10 seconds or longer therefore not allowing any air/oxygen to enter the lungs/body. A quick course in physiology: oxygen from the lungs enters the bloodstream and is distributed to every organ and cell of the body, especially the heart and brain, hense apnea deprives the entire body of oxygen!! The longer the airway stays closed the lower the blood oxygen level becomes the more damage to the organs and cells.
As opposed to begign snoring, apnea is life threatening. It can lead to cardiovascular complications (increased blood pressure or heart attack) or stroke. On a lighter level it leads to a poor night's sleep, daytime drowsiness and impaired cognitive ability.
