Snorers are the brunt of teasing and jokes, but in many cases snoring is something that needs to be treated.
Snoring versus Sleep Apnea
Just because a person snores, doesn’t mean they have sleep apnea. But everyone who has sleep apnea snores.
Snoring happens when air is prevented from moving freely through your nose and mouth during sleep because of a narrowing of the airway, “either from poor sleep posture or abnormalities of the soft tissues in your throat.” (Helpguide.org)
Sleep apnea is when a person stops breathing while snoring. “Sleep apnea is generally defined as the presence of more than 30 apneas during a seven hour sleep. In severe cases, periods of not breathing may last for as long as 60 to 90 seconds and may recur up to 500 times a night.” (AAOMS)
Both snoring and sleep apnea can affect the quality of sleep for the snorer and their family.
https://www.empowher.com/snoring/content/stop-snoring-devices-do-they-work