Sleep allows your body and brain to rest and recover from the day’s activities, and it’s not just the quantity, but the quality of your sleep that’s important. Restless sleep can lead to a wide range of health problems, and the consequences can be deadly if persistent sleep trouble isn’t addressed. Sporadic snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea, which can be serious:

Sleep apnea is literally when a person stops breathing during sleep. As a result, the brain undergoes repeated moments of suffocating. In popular culture, snoring is viewed as funny, and people often laugh when a snoring person lets out a sudden explosive snort. The reality is this loud snort is often the person gasping for air as the brain is not getting enough oxygen.

Read more at the Harvard Health Blog.