In most homes, snoring is a joke. The family teases him about it, someone sleeps in the other room, and life goes on. But when I ask patients a few more questions, the story changes. "Yes doctor, I wake up tired." "Yes, my wife says I stop breathing for a few seconds." "Yes, I fall asleep in meetings." That is not just snoring anymore. Snoring versus sleep apnea fig 1. Snoring Is Not Always Harmless: When It Could Be Sleep Apnea Snoring happens when the airway in the throat narrows during sleep and the tissue vibrates. Plenty of people snore without any serious problem. In obstructive sleep apnea, the airway repeatedly closes for a few seconds during sleep, and breathing stops and starts again. The brain keeps waking you up slightly to restart breathing, and you never reach deep, proper sleep, even after eight hours in bed. Signs that need attention - Loud, regular snoring, especially with choking or gasping sounds - Someone has seen you pause breathin...
Earphones All Day? Your Hearing Is Quietly Paying the Price Think about your day. Morning commute with music. Work calls on a headset. Gym playlist. A web series at night, earphones in, volume up so you do not disturb anyone. Nothing hurts, so nothing feels wrong. That is exactly the problem. Hearing loss from loud sound builds up slowly and quietly, and by the time you notice, a part of it is already permanent. fig 1. Earphones All Day? Your Hearing Is Quietly Paying the Price Why it is permanent Inside the inner ear there are tiny hair cells that pick up sound. Loud sound, or moderate sound for very long hours, can damage them. Unlike skin or bone, these cells do not grow back. Hearing aids can help later, but prevention is far easier than cure. I now see people in their twenties and thirties with problems I used to see only in much older patients. Signs you should not ignore - A ringing or buzzing sound (tinnitus) after removing your earphones ...