JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Snoring can just be an annoyance that can cause relationship problems and keep you and your partner up at night, but it can also be a dangerous sign that you're not breathing. So, there are certain snores you should never ignore.
According to SleepFoundation.org, snoring affects 90 million American adults -- 37 million on a regular basis. But, many people just deal with snoring and don't think twice about the long lasting impact it can have.
News4Jax asked friends on social media if they had a good snore recorded on their phones and the results were overwhelming. It proves people are up late at night annoyed with loved ones who snore. We took your recordings to a St. Vincent's HealthCare pulmonologist to see what he could tell from hearing the snores.
In just 30 seconds, Dr. Raymond Pumarejo could tell whether the snore was harmless or if it could be a sign of a bigger problem.
"Loud rhythmic snoring, again a lot of vibration, from the nose but again no pauses," said Pumarejo listening to the snores.
He said that was an example of a harmless snore. He then heard another and explained why it was concerning.
"You can hear it immediately, snoring or heavy breathing, silence, and then the snort coming out of the apnea can be pretty loud," said Pumarejo.
LISTEN & WATCH: Dr. Pumarejo analyzes different snores
The annoying snore that goes all night long isn't necessarily the dangerous one. The snore you can't ignore is the one that breaks the silence with a sudden, loud eruption -- where you are literally fighting for a breath. In that silence, you may not be breathing.
The sleep specialist stresses you can't just listen to a snore and diagnosis a patient, but that -- along with other symptoms -- can definitely suggest a problem.
Bleu Hilburn noticed he was having problems years ago.
"Little things like driving home from work and traffic. I get really drowsy and that's not normal," Bleu Hilburn explained to News4Jax.
It wasn't until Hilburn got out of the military that he was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Bleu learned he would stop breathing several times a night. He knew something was wrong a couple years earlier, but he never went to the doctor.
"I don't really want to bring it to a doctor. You're not going to make an appointment just for that. That's where I was for just about two years," Hilburn said.
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Pumarejo said a lot of people ignore snoring, but when it starts to interfere with your daily life, it is cause for concern. It can drive marriages apart, cause exhaustion or depression, it can even increase your risk for heart attack or stroke.
The remedy could be a C-PAP machine, but you need a sleep study first.
The sleep lab at St. Vincent's is more like a hotel -- with a bed and a private bathroom. During the study, someone monitors you throughout the entire night. The patient needs to get six hours of good sleep to complete the study.
It's how Hilburn learned he had sleep apnea, and Pumarejo recommended two things: he get a C-PAP machine and drop a few pounds -- because excess weight can also cause sleep apnea.
"I forced myself to use it for six weeks and after that, it was night and day. I woke up feeling refreshed. I felt younger, four hours of sleep felt like eight hours," said Hilburn.
He said he's a changed man now that he gets his sleep with his C-PAP machine.
They have gotten smaller, quieter and less intrusive over the years, but C-PAP machines still do the same thing: They keep you breathing and help you get a good night's sleep.
"The whole idea is to seal everything off and get it open," said Pumarejo. "They are going to splint open the airway. So instead of allowing soft tissues to collapse and cause snoring and sleep apnea, the air splints it open and keeps it open."
If you are apprehensive about an in-office sleep study, Pumarejo said healthy patients might be eligible for an at-home version in the comfort of their own beds.
For more information on sleep services at St. Vincent's HealthCare, go JaxHealth.com/services/sleep or call (904) 450-8283.