Snoring and sleep apnea are closely tied and often experienced simultaneously. Snoring is the sound that comes from the vibrating of your respiratory structure when it is partially blocked. When these airways become fully blocked repeatedly throughout the night, you have sleep apnea.
With blocked airways, you stop breathing and experience an apneic episode. When you snore, you may not be getting as much oxygen as needed, but you don’t stop breathing. What causes snoring can lead to sleep apnea and other health problems like heart disease.