FRIDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Most people don't take snoring seriously. But maybe they should.
Those nocturnal snorts, whistles and wheezes can actually cause serious problems -- for your health and your relationships if your snoring keeping others awake at night.
Snoring affects a surprisingly large number of people. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) estimates that nearly one in three Americans snores occasionally, and 37 million are habitual snorers.
"Primary snoring is a pretty common entity," said Dr. Bradley Rowens, director of the Michigan Institute for Sleep at St. John Providence Park Hospital, in Novi, Mich. "Probably 40 percent of males between 30 and 60 years old, and probably 30 percent of women in that age group snore."
Sometimes, snoring is a sign of a more serious problem -- obstructive sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, people actually stop breathing for several seconds. This disorder can contribute to high blood pressure and even cause stroke, according to the National Institutes of Health.
However, it can be hard for the average person to distinguish between heavy snoring and apnea, according to Susan Zafarlotfi, clinical director of the Institute for Sleep-Wake Disorders and The Breath and Lung Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center, in New Jersey. For that reason, anyone who habitually snores should see their doctor or a sleep specialist to determine if the problem is sleep apnea, rather than ordinary snoring, she said.
Rowens said primary snoring is typically a regular, monotonous sound -- "a sawing-wood type of noise, not punctuated with stopping breathing, squeaking or gasps."
For most people, snoring doesn't pose a great health risk, although the NSF said snoring can disrupt your sleep to the point where you may experience headaches, fatigue and concentration problems during the day. For your partner, however, their lack of sleep -- called environmental insomnia -- can cause these symptoms and more.
"Snoring definitely causes difficulties for the partner," said Zafarlotfi, who added that most people come in to have their snoring evaluated after prompting from their partner.
Snoring occurs when the airway becomes partially blocked. The noise originates in the back of the mouth where the tongue, uvula, upper throat and soft palate meet. If these structures rub together, the resulting noise from the vibrations creates snoring.
Common causes of snoring are excess weight, which narrows the airway making it more likely that the parts will rub together; nasal congestion, either from allergies or a cold; alcohol or sedating medications that relax the airways; or anatomical defects, such as a deviated septum.
Treatments for snoring often depend on the cause. If enlarged adenoids or a deviated septum are causing your snoring, surgery may be necessary.
However, most doctors recommend lifestyle changes first. These include losing weight, exercising more and eliminating alcohol and other sedating drugs before bedtime.
"Weight is a big issue, because excess weight narrows the airway," said Zafarlotfi.
Quitting smoking is also helpful, according to Rowens.
For many people, making sure they don't sleep on their back does the trick. To keep yourself from rolling onto your back in the middle of the night, Rowens suggests sewing a tennis ball into the back of your pajamas.
If nasal congestion is the cause of your snoring, nasal decongestants or antihistamines to control your allergies may help. However, antihistamines can also contribute to the problem because many are sedating. Rowens said that nasal dilating strips are helpful for some people.
There are also dental devices that help keep the tongue in place to prevent snoring, Rowens said. And, new procedures are being developed all the time. The latest involves inserting small rods into the back of the throat, stiffening the soft palate and making it less likely to vibrate, he said.
If your snoring is caused by sleep apnea, the gold standard of non-surgical treatment is called CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), Zafarlotfi said. Using a specially designed nasal mask or pillows, CPAP delivers air into the airway, with the flow of air creating enough pressure when you inhale to keep the airway open, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
Other treatments aren't generally recommended, because they can stop the snoring, but the apnea is still present.
More information
To learn more about snoring, visit the National Sleep Foundation 
.
THURSDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Toddlers whose mothers took fish oil supplements during pregnancy tended to have better hand-eye coordination than children whose mothers didn't take the supplements, a new study found.
The results of the small study by Australian researchers appear online in the Dec. 21 issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
"Omega-3 fatty acids, commonly referred to as 'fish oil,' are essential nutrients for human health," said Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine. He was not involved in the study.
"Along with essential omega-6 fats, these compounds influence everything from hormonal balance to immune function," Katz said. "Omega-3s are taken up avidly by the developing eyes and brain of a fetus, and are thought to be important contributors to healthy development in early childhood."
Because of concerns about mercury in certain types of fish, fish oil supplements are becoming more popular, the study authors noted.
In the study, by researchers at the University of Western Australia's School of Paediatrics and Child Health, 98 pregnant women were given either 4 grams of fish oil supplements or 4 grams of olive oil supplements each day starting at 20 weeks of pregnancy until their babies were born.
When the children were two-and-a half years old, their growth and development was tested. The tests included tests for language, behavior, practical reasoning and hand-eye coordination.
Among the 72 children tested, the researchers found no significant differences in language skills and growth between children whose mothers had taken the fish oil supplements and those whose mothers hadn't, the researchers found.
However, children whose mothers had taken fish oil supplements scored significantly higher in hand-eye coordination, compared with children whose mothers had not taken the supplements. This association held true even after the researchers accounted for the mothers' age and length of time they breast-fed.
In addition, the researchers found that high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the babies' umbilical cord blood were significantly linked with good hand-eye coordination, while low levels of omega-6 fatty acids, found in many vegetable oils, were not.
"These preliminary data indicate that supplementation with a relatively high-dose fish oil during the last 20 weeks of pregnancy is not only safe but also seems to have potential beneficial effects that need to be explored further," the authors wrote. "Given the scarcity of data to support the efficacy of fish oil supplementation during pregnancy, our data have a potentially important role in informing on the effects of fish oil supplementation on early postnatal infant development," they concluded.
Katz said: "This study confirms that supplements of fish oil taken by pregnant women can influence the hand-eye coordination of their offspring. Whether that translates into long-term benefits in vision, coordination, or cognition remains to be seen. But the findings certainly hint at the importance of omega-3s to the health of young children."
It will take more research to clarify the optimal dose of omega-3 fatty acids, and the long-term health effects of supplementation during pregnancy, Katz said. "But we know enough already to conclude that fish oil from supplements is generally a good idea, during pregnancy especially. I routinely advise 1 gram, twice daily, of fish oil to my pregnant patients -- and my non-pregnant patients, too."
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine can tell you more about fish oil supplements.
