Editorial board editor-in-chief

SNORING AS A SIGN OF AbNORmAlITY
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Institute of Automatics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland 
[e-mail]
Abstract:
Medical support is needed for subjects who snore to get a good night’s sleep. This prospective study is aimed to show 
how sleep disorders inluence a good night sleep. One of the common sleep disorder that affect people of all ages is snoring. 
Snoring sound could be a sign of cardiovascular disease. Correct interpretation remains a very signiicant problem in dealing 
with respiratory sounds, such as snoring and/or breathing. Acoustic characteristics of snoring sounds, which are approximately 
periodic waves with noise, can be analyzed by using a multidimensional voice program MDvP. Acoustic analysis techniques 
give information on the mechanism, loudness, intensity and sites of obstruction of upper airways. Further conclusions can be 
made by comparing simultaneously gathered acoustic and electrocardiographic signals.
Keywords:
snoring, acoustic analysis, good night’s sleep
Introduction 
Snoring is a well-known sound generated by the vibrations of 
partially collapsed and unstable pharyngeal airway walls and 
the soft plate. Snoringis a breathing noise that appears during 
the inspiratory andsometimes also the expiratory phase of the 
respiratory cycle [2]. Moreover, snoring is looked at more as 
a symptom or sign of development of obstructive sleep apnea 
syndrome in the future. Snoring is a common sleep disorder that 
affects people of all ages, although it is most frequent for men 
and overweight people. This is related to body mass index (BMI), 
daytime sleepiness, and hypertension stroke or heart disease[3].
Among adults who snore, two kinds of snorers can be dis-
tinguished: occasional and habitual. These two kinds of snoring 
could have different inluence on quality rest during sleep: usually 
an occasional snorer has good sleep and rest but a habitual 
snorer is often tired after all night sleep and does not have good 
quality rest.
Many things have inluence on the acoustic phenomenon 
that is snoring. Sound of snoring might change during a single 
sleeping period and it may vary from night to night. Breathing by 
nasal, oral or both structures of upper airway, sleep stage, body 
position - these factors determinate quality of the sound. We must 
distinguish snoring from the other sleep sounds or noises. Objec
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tive analysis of snoring is very important for evaluating treatment.