Snoring is common – most people snore occasionally – but is not a welcomed physical phenomenon. Snoring is noisy, disturbing, can affect the quality of your sleep and prevents your bedroom partner from having a peaceful night! So what are the causes and treatments of snoring? Technically speaking, snoring is defined as the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound, due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping.
In some cases the sound may be soft, but in most cases, rather unpleasant.
Generally speaking, the structures involved during vibration (creating subsequent noise) are the uvula and soft palate; the irregular airflow can be caused by any part of airway. Blockage of these passages can be due to inflamed, enlarged glands or ‘floppy’ soft tissues, a large or set back tongue, a small or receded lower jaw or an obstruction of the nasal passageway. These physical attributes can be hereditary or from environmental influences like smoking, alcohol, medications, allergy, asthma and upper respiratory infection.
Snoring can also be a symptom of sleep apnea, an unhealthy condition. While snoring is caused by a narrow airway, sleep apnea is a true breathing obstruction, which awakens the sleeper to begin breathing again. It can occur frequently and can lead to sleep deprivation with further health repercussions.
Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea, but snoring by itself does not involve the cessation of breathing.
Besides diagnosing what causes snoring, non-invasive and self-regulatory approaches to control snoring can be a good start: losing weight (decreasing fatty tissues which restrict the airway), sleeping with one’s head elevated and sleeping on one’s side (preventing the gravitational collapse of the airway), limiting alcohol consumption, smoking and medication intake (to prevent dilated, dehydrated, inflamed or floppy tissues), and clearing of the nasal passage (a stuffy nose can make inhalation difficult, creating a vacuum in your throat drawing movements the soft tissues). Nasal decongestants or nasal strips can also be effective in opening up the nasal passage; when combined with a snore guard under a health professional’s care, this can be very effective in treating mild to moderate snoring.
There are several designs of snore guards to aid in suppressing snoring, from a simple diagnostic bite plate to a fixed or adjustable double jaw device which repositions your lower jaw and/or tongue forward and downward (opening the airway at your throat). Ask your dentist whether he or she can help you with fitting a snore guard.If you suffer from severe snoring combined with sleep apnea, a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is often used.
In most severe cases, a surgical approach might be advised. Surgical treatments like UPPP (Uvulopalatopharyngoplaty) and TAP (Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty) can relieve physical blockages to the breathing pathway. A pillar procedure (palatal implantation) can stiffen and cease vibration of the soft palate to stop snoring.
One solution that might surprise you? Sing and playing musical instruments that tone up your throat muscle and soft tissues of one’s airway can help. This appears to work by strengthening throat muscles , thus reducing their tendency to collapse during sleep.
At last, I wish everyone a quiet, peaceful and healthy night’s sleep every night – be well rested and ready to carry on a productive and happy tomorrow!
