Snoring

FALLACY: There is nothing wrong with snoring.

FACT: Loud snoring associated with gasping, choking, pauses in breathing and sudden awakening are symptoms of sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea syndromes are group of serious sleep disorders marked by repeated stops in breathing while a person is sleeping. These stops are long enough to dramatically decrease the amount of oxygen and increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive and central. The former occur when the throat or the upper airway is blocked while the latter occur as a result of a dysfunction in the brain part that controls breathing.
In some cases, a prolonged imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood results in a decreased sensitivity of the brain. In this case, the obstructive sleep apnea is coupled with central sleep apnea. Persons who have observed the symptoms mentioned above must not take them for granted. In the long run, sleep apnea can cause disruptions in a person's daytime functions and a increase in complications. Headache, excessive daytime sleepiness, slowed mental activity, heart failure and pulmonary insufficiency are some of the major complications.