Science Of Life

Author(s): U S Dugar
Publisher: U S Dugar

Page 59

function is rest and restoring the body's energy levels. It is during the night when we are at rest that the lungs redouble their efforts to inhale the life-giving oxygen to recharge the human dynamo. In healthy sleeping individuals, most muscular and neural activities will slow or even shut down but respiration goes on under a neuromuscular “auto pilot." However, if something goes wrong with the auto pilot during sleep, breathing may become erratic and inefficient. The breathing pauses are often accompanied by choking sensations which cause wake up, intermittent snoring, night-time insomnia, early morning headaches, and excessive daytime sleepiness. The absence of restful sleep may cause deterioration of performance, depression, irritability, sexual dysfunction, and defects in attention and concentration.
Snoring is a sign of abnormal breathing. Habitual loud snoring is the most common symptom of breathing disorders that occur during sleep. It occurs when physical obstruction causes fluttering of the soft palate and the adjacent soft tissues between the mouths, external orifices of the nose, the upper part of the windpipe, and the passage extending from the pharynx to the stomach. Repeated interruption of sleep by breathing abnormalities such as heavy snoring, leads to fragmented sleep and abnormal oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood. The person who snores not only sleeps restlessly, but also is at risk for serious disorders of the heart and lungs. Snoring can therefore be life threatening because it can lead to high blood