Snoring is not always just annoying. It may be the symptom of a more serious sleep disorder called sleep apnea.

If you have sleep apnea, you periodically stop breathing while sleeping. You may stop breathing just a few times or hundreds of times each night. You may not breathe for only a few seconds or as long as two minutes. When you resume breathing there may be a loud snort or gasp, and you may briefly awaken.

Sleep apnea is usually associated with daytime sleepiness because your rest is regularly disturbed. High blood pressure and weight gain are often associated with this disorder. Sleep apnea is most common in men who have high blood pressure, are overweight and snore, but anyone can be affected by this sleeping problem.