Snoring is one of the most common health issues these days. Fortunately, there are many snoring devices available now, with which you can stop snoring up to a great extent. Note that snoring can also lead to various other sleep disorders. For instance, interruption of circadian rhythm is one of the major sleeping disorders that can be triggered by heavy snoring. Below are some in-depth details about circadian rhythm and related health issues.

What is Circadian Rhythm?

Circadian rhythm is a biological clock in your body that controls the timing that a body needs to rest and be energetic; that is, the sleep and wakefulness cycles. The main factor that contributes to this is the presence and absence of natural light in a day.

A circadian rhythm cycle mainly functions by means of the hypothalamus. Here, there is a group of cells known as Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) that is connected to the optic nerve of a person. This will help the biological clock to detect the presence and absence of light. Apart from this, SCN also plays a crucial role in controlling most of the body function such as heart rate, body temperature, hormones, etc.

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders

There are mainly two types of sleeping disorders related to circadian rhythm, intrinsic and extrinsic. The former one is present in one’s body by default, whereas the latter one is circumstantial. In case of intrinsic disorders, the sleep cycle will be entirely different from that of others. The main reasons for this can be the early or late sleeping and wake-up timings.

In case of extrinsic sleep disorders, the factors may depend on the circumstances, such as job, light, pressure, travel, etc., which are the common things that disrupt the sleep of a person. Some of the most common circadian rhythm sleep disorders include:

• Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS)
• Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome
• Non-24-Hour-Sleep-Wake Syndrome
• Jet Lag
• Irregular Sleep-Wake Rhythm
• Shift-Work Sleep Disorder

The Treatment

Behavioral therapy is one of the non-surgical treatment methods used to cure circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Here, a patient will have to maintain regular timing for sleep and arousals, avoid taking naps during morning time and nicotine or caffeine before bedtime, reduce the use of electronic gadgets, must do exercises regularly, etc.

Another treatment method is the Bright Light Therapy. Here, a light box that emits high-intensity light is used to delay or advance the bedtime of a person. For this, the patient will have to sit under the light box for a set time depending on the intensity of the sleeping disorder.

Apart from these, certain medications such as melatonin can also be used to regulate the sleep cycles. Yet if snoring is the only thing that is disturbing your sleep cycle, the usage of appropriate snoring devices is recommended to counter the health issue.