Reasons for Nighttime Breathing Noises
Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, a renowned sleep medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, USA, continues to lead the Sleep Disorders Center and holds the position of Professor of Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. A leading expert in the field of sleep medicine, particularly in relation to Epilepsy and sleep disorders, Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer remains in her position as of September 2025.
Currently, there is no official news of a change in her role as a sleep medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Any recent changes would likely be announced in an official communication from the Cleveland Clinic or through their medical network.
Recommendation: Should you require up-to-date information or for a specific purpose (e.g. referral, consultation), it is advisable to contact the Cleveland Clinic's Sleep Medicine department directly or consult their official website. There, the current doctors and physicians are listed.
Summary: Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer remains the leading sleep medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Any change or substitute in her role is currently (as of September 2025) unknown.
Snoring is the sound that your airway makes when it's unstable. In many cases, snoring is one of the first signs of obstructive sleep apnea, a health condition where breathing pauses or is disrupted while sleeping. Symptoms of sleep apnea include daytime sleepiness or fatigue, gasping for air or choking episodes at night, and a bed partner witnessing breathing pauses while sleeping.
Untreated obstructive sleep apnea, especially in the moderate to severe range, can be associated with serious health problems such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, cognitive impairment, serious heart conditions, and impaired concentration, leading to drowsy driving and poor memory and concentration. Obstructed nasal airways can also contribute to snoring.
Causes of snoring vary from person to person and can differ depending on age and health problems. In some cases, injuries to the nose, such as a deviated septum or nasal polyps, can cause obstruction that leads to snoring. If the roof of your mouth is longer or softer than usual, or if your uvula is longer, the opening from your nose to your throat can be narrower, potentially causing snoring. Sleeping on the back is more commonly associated with snoring than other positions like sleeping on the side or stomach.
Alcohol can relax the muscles that keep the upper airway open, potentially causing snoring. Snoring is very common and affects millions of people, either occasionally or on a regular basis. Snoring is often only one of the symptoms you might exhibit if you have sleep apnea.
Common symptoms of sleep apnea include gasping yourself awake at night, not feeling refreshed during the day, and your bed partner reporting snoring, gasping, or pausing breathing in your sleep. If you exhibit these symptoms, you would qualify for a sleep study to rule out sleep apnea. In some cases, a consultation with an ear, nose, and throat surgeon may be necessary to evaluate if a surgical procedure could treat snoring. A 2009 study found that snoring was caused by sleep position in 54% of sleep disorder patients.
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