SNORING
Snoring is the sound that occurs when turbulent airflow causes the tissues at the top of the airway to strike each other and vibrate during breathing while sleeping.
- The sound may be soft in some cases and can be loud and very unpleasant in other cases.
- Snoring is a common condition and nearly everyone snores once in a while. However, in some people snoring can be severe and cause frequent awakenings at night.
- Severe snoring can also be a nuisance to your bed partner.
- Snoring can affect anyone but it is more prevalent in men.
- Snoring can sometimes indicate a more serious health problem such as obstructive sleep apnea.
- Not everyone with a snoring problem has sleep apnea. However, snoring is one of the major symptoms of sleep apnea, this is the reason why snoring mustn’t be ignored.
- If not treated, sleep apnea can increase the risk of more serious health condition including high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
CAUSES
Snoring can be caused by one or more of the following:
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Aging
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Side effects of some medication
- Taking alcohol, especially before bed
- Nasal deformity such as a deviated septum
- Poor muscle tone in the throat
- Obstruction in the nasal passageway from illness or allergies
- Large soft palate or uvula
- Sleeping on one’s back
- Sleep deprivation
- Swollen adenoids or tonsils
- Pregnancy
- A family history of snoring or other breathing-related conditions.
SYMPTOMS
- Noisy breathing while asleep
- Waking with a headache
- Excessive daytime drowsiness and fatigue
- Dry mouth or a sore throat in the morning
- Nighttime awakenings
- Gasping or coughing during the nigh
- Frequent night urination
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
In making a diagnosis, the doctor will review your medical history, your signs, and symptoms and may carry out a physical examination. Your partner may have to answer some questions about when and how you snore, this helps the doctor to assess how severe your condition is.
Imaging tests such as X-ray, CT scan or MRI may be used to check the structures of your airway for problems such as a deviated septum.
Your doctor may request for a sleep study. This may be done at home or at a sleep center. This is aimed at analyzing your breathing during sleep by a study, called a polysomnography.
In a polysomnography, you are observed overnight while connected to many sensors. During this study, the following information is recorded: sleep stages, heart rate, blood oxygen level, brain waves and breathing rate.
TREATMENT
The first recommendation for treating snoring is lifestyle changes. This may include:
- Avoiding alcohol close to bedtime
- Changing sleeping positions. You can sleep on your side, raise the head of the bed a few inches or use an anti-snore pillow to improve neck position
- Avoiding sleep deprivation
- Losing weight
- Smoking cessation
- Relieving a blocked nasal passageway.
- Limiting alcohol
If snoring is chronic and is linked to sleep apnea, the doctor may suggest oral appliances, continuous positive airway pressure, or surgery.
Oral appliances are fitted dental mouthpiece that helps to position your jaw, soft palate and tongue to keep the air passage open and avoid noisy breathing and snoring. These devices are prescribed by a sleep specialist in consultation with dentists and are worn during sleep.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), involves wearing a mask that directs pressurized air to your airway to keep it open while you sleep. This is worn over your nose and mouth while you sleep.