It has been known for some time that workers who use vibrating tools for a prolonged amount of time could suffer nerve damage. Researchers identified what they called hand-arm vibration syndrome, resulting from the constant vibration of tools affecting the arteries, causing them to constrict, and leading to nerve damage which could become permanent over prolonged exposure times to vibration.
How does this relate to snoring you wonder?
This month a Press Release from Umea University, Sweden, reported on the dissertation of Farhan Shah, who found that chronic snorers may develop extensive tissue damage in the nerves and muscles of the soft palate. Similar to the hand-arm vibration syndrome, it is most likely that the damage which occurs to the soft palate results from the recurrent snoring vibrations the tissues are exposed to. This can in turn create problems with swallowing and contribute to development of sleep apnoea.
Needless to say, treatment strategies aimed at early intervention to stop snoring might just have a beneficial effect in healing or, more importantly, preventing development of sleep apnoea.
To find out more check out the Press Release from Umea University, Sweden:
