UNAIR NEWS – Discussing the common case of snoring, JawaPos TV held a live health consultation on “Snoring, is it dangerous?” Presenting dr. Elfrida Fausthina Lani, clinical doctor of Pusat Layanan Kesehatan Universitas Airlangga (PLK UNAIR) as the guest speaker, the show was broadcasted on Tuesday morning, May 10, 2022.

Regarding the causes, Dr. Elfrida said that snoring is caused by narrowing airway during sleeping. Therefore, snoring is classified into two. First, the normal one is when someone is exhausted or suffers from a minor illness, the snoring will disappear.

“Then, what’s the abnormal snoring? It happens when someone snores while getting enough sleep for 6 to 8 hours, but they still feel drowsy and tired when they wake up. They tend to feel sleepy in the afternoon,” dr. Elfrida said.

Dr. Elfrida further stated that the abnormality is known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). “During sleeping, they wake up several times when their breathing stop for about 10 seconds. The brain will automatically stimulate them to keep breathing which leads to waking up feeling alert,” she said.

Dr. Elfrida stated that obstructive sleep apnea is not only found in older people because narrowing the airway may happen to anyone. “There are various causes of the narrowing airways, such as the weakened muscles during sleep or neurological disorder.”

The PLK UNAIR doctor warned the community not to underestimate the continuous snoring habit as it affects the person’s life quality and may cause complications. As a result of decreasing oxygen intake to the brain, some complications that may happen are stroke, metabolic disorder, and many more.

To prevent obstructive sleep apnea, dr. Elfrida shared some practical tips. “First of all, maintain the weight from the risk of obesity. Second, do exercise regularly. Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. Choose your food wisely and keep the diet proportional with meat, fruit, and veggies,” she said.

Author: Leivina Ariani Sugiharto Putri

Editor : Nuri Hermawan