Physicians say loud night breathing could also be signal of erectile dysfunction

Snoring may seem normal to some and an embarrassment to a few, especially if it disturbs the sleep of others. However, no matter how it is viewed, medical experts say it is a condition that should not be ignored as it might be a sign of erectile dysfunction.

They noted that though nearly everyone snores subtly once in a while, however, the deep guttural or loudly disruptive type should be a cause for concern, warning that it should not be taken for granted as it requires immediate visits to the physicians.

They noted that people who snore loudly are prone to sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts, reiterating that such conditions may advance to male impotency when not properly examined and treated.

According to an online medical portal, Mayo Clinic, snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when airflows pass relaxed tissues in the throat, causing the tissues to vibrate as you breathe.

It noted that it may also indicate a serious health condition that the risk factors include age and obesity, and that it is more common in men.

Mayo Clinic stated, “Snoring can be caused by several factors, such as the anatomy of one’s mouth and sinuses, alcohol consumption, allergies, a cold, and weight.

“When you doze off and progress from a light sleep to a deep sleep, the muscles in the roof of your mouth (soft palate), tongue and throat relax. The tissues in your throat can relax enough that they partially block your airway and vibrate.

“The more narrowed your airway, the more forceful the airflow becomes. This increases tissue vibration, which causes your snoring to grow louder.

“Habitual snoring may be more than just a nuisance. The snorer might be at a greater risk of high blood pressure, heart conditions and stroke.”

The health and well-being website advised snorers to seek medical intervention when it becomes loud enough to disrupt other people’s sleep as this may indicate an association with obstructive sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction.

Speaking exclusively with According Healthwise in different interviews, the experts said male deep snorers should always seek help when they notice that it has become deep and cease for a few seconds before it starts again.

A Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Kwara State, Dr Olanrewaju Idris, said snoring should not be taken for granted, insisting that the condition when not properly studied and treated may cause impotence in men.

He also noted that snoring could lead to social problems, like causing marital or relationship crises.

Idris added, “Even if one is dating a lady or a man and in the process before one gets married, realises that the person snores deeply, that alone could affect the relationship.

“Snoring is abnormal because either awake or at sleep, individual breathing should not be associated with any sound or noise. People who snore shouldn’t take it for granted.”

Speaking on High Blood Pressure and erectile dysfunction, a Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine with the University of Abuja, Augustine Odili, said elevated blood pressure is responsible for erectile dysfunction in men.

He said this is due to poor blood flow around the bulbocavernosus, which does not allow the penis to reach full erection.

According to another online medical journal, ScienceDirect, bulbocavernosus is a muscle that surrounds the base of the penis and is directly related to erectile dysfunction in men.

“This has three functions: preventing blood from escaping during an erection by putting pressure on the deep dorsal vein; maintaining erection and pump during ejaculation; emptying the bulbar urethra by reflex action after voiding or ejaculating semen from the urethra at climax,” the journal stated.

Speaking further, Odili, who is the National President of the Nigerian Cardiac Society, explained that what causes erection is the blood flow due to stimulation that occurs through the eyes, the brain or touch.

According to him, a man can get an erection by what he sees, what the brain thinks and interprets whilst being touched.

He said, “There are lots of blood vessels on the penis and they will dilate upon stimuli. God is so wonderful with the making of the penis and made the tissues to be like-sponge that when blood flows into it, it becomes strong. This is when you can say an erection has taken place.

“The tissues of the penis are like sponges. When you squeeze out water from a sponge, it will be small but when water enters it again, it will swell up. These tissues are called bulbocavernosus. It’s spongy but when blood flows in, it gets strong and when the blood goes out, it goes down too.”

According to him, what happens in high blood pressure is the same as that of blood vessels, noting that when there is pressure, it affects the blood vessels and the vascular bed all over the body.

Odili said, “By this, I mean what causes stroke is lack of blood flow in one particular vascular bed in the brain. The same happens to the kidney and it is worse within those areas where you have a lot of blood vessels like the penis.

“So, as the sheer pressure is going on, it will be affecting the wall, the endothelium. From affecting it, it becomes like roughing the endothelium. From there, there will be deposits on the endothelium and hardening of the wall of blood vessels and there will be restricted blood flow.

“So if this continues, when the stimulus comes either to the eye or brain, the blood vessels will not be able to dilate appropriately. Enough blood will not flow to the tissues in the penis for it to be erect due to the blockage or narrowing of the blood vessels, which reduces blood supply to the bulbocavernos. When it becomes regular, you say that erectile dysfunction has occurred when it becomes regular.”

In a study published in the National Library of Medicine titled, ‘Snoring as a Risk Factor for Sexual Dysfunction in Community Men,’ the author, Dr Vicktor Hanak and his team said sexual dysfunction is a common health problem in middle-aged and elderly males among snorers.

The study noted that the prevalence of erectile dysfunction increases steadily with age, and this condition may affect up to 10 per cent of men in their 40s and up to 80 per cent of men aged 70 and over.

In a research meant to examine the association between snoring and sexual dysfunction in a randomly selected, community-based population of middle-aged and elderly males, the authors said men in the heavy snoring group were over two times more likely to have low sexual and erectile dysfunction compared to the none/mild snoring group.

The study concluded that the data collected provide evidence of an association between increasing snoring severity and reduced sexual satisfaction in a population of elderly community males.

“Clinicians assessing patients for sexual dysfunction may therefore wish to explore snoring history, as well as whether some of the treatment options that exist for snoring might improve sexual satisfaction,” the study added.