The other day, I saw an advertisement featuring a wife and a husband asleep in bed.

The husband was curled up against his wife and appeared to be cuddling with her, but at a second glance, I noticed that he was snoring in her ear, and keeping her awake. And making her frustrated.

Being a sleep doctor, I thought that this was a great way to talk about the troubles that snoring and sleep disorders create, but on closer inspection, I saw that this advertisement was from the Department of Health and Human Services, promoting healthy marriages.

This should send a clear message to society that besides possibly being a warning sign for larger health issues, snoring can have a major impact on those around you.

Half of Americans snore. It becomes more prevalent with an increase in weight and age, but snoring can really occur in all populations, even in children. 

Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea or another sleeping disorder; however, it is one of the warning signs.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing, or apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes.

There are three forms of sleep apnea: central, obstructive and mixed, meaning a combination of the first two. In central, breathing is interrupted by a lack of respiratory effort; in obstructive, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort, and snoring is common.

I describe obstructive sleep apnea like sucking a thick milkshake through a thin paper straw: When the straw, which is like your airway, collapses, sleep apnea occurs.

Sleep apnea differs in severity, but regardless, it could have a cardiovascular impact. It takes a tremendous amount of force to open a collapsed airway, leading to high blood pressure. Studies have shown that people with sleep apnea are more likely to experience high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmias or diabetes.

However, sleep apnea can contribute to gaining weight. If you’re tired, you eat, and you eat because you need energy, but you’re too tired to exercise, leading to more weight gain. It’s a vicious cycle.

If you think you or your partner may have a sleep disorder, take the quiz on our website, www.ucsleepcenter.com. We also offer a number of clinical trials for individuals having trouble with sleep.

Victoria Surdulescu, MD, is director of the UC Health Sleep Medicine Center in West Chester Twp. She is board certified in sleep medicine, pulmonary diseases, critical-care medicine and internal medicine. To schedule an appointment, call (513) 475-7500.