SNORING TREATMENT

Snoring is the repetitive harsh noise you hear when a snorer inhales during sleep causing vibration of the soft or floppy parts at the back of the throat. Snoring is associated with a partial collapse of the airway and obstruction to air flow. Over 40% of adults snore and the noise can place great stress on relationships, affecting the individual as well as the sleep of partners, family members, and friends during travel or trips away. Loud snoring can also disrupt sleep patterns with a significant effect upon your quality of life.

As you fall asleep, the soft tissues at the back of the throat, the muscles that line the airway, and the tongue muscles all relax. As this occurs, particularly if sleeping on the back, the tongue drops back into the airway which causes it to narrow. As air passes through this narrower airway, it moves faster and causes the soft palate and uvula to vibrate against the back of the throat or the base of the tongue which creates a rattling or snoring sound.

As the air passage continues to narrow, pressure increases within the airway and snoring becomes louder. The three primary causes of narrowing of the air passage are:

Excessive bulkiness of throat tissue: Children with enlarged adenoids and tonsils often snore, as do adults with large tonsils. Overweight people and those with large necks often snore as the excess neck tissue compresses the airway. Many patients have anatomical variations in the structure of their throat tissues such as large tonsils, unusually broad tongues or long soft palates. A small lower jaw is also a risk factor for increasing the chances of airway obstruction occurring when asleep.

Increased relaxation of the soft tissues: If the throat tissues become too relaxed as a result of alcohol or taking tranquilizers, sleeping pills, sedatives, or muscle relaxants they can collapse and fall backward which may obstruct the airway.

Increased resistance in the airway. A blocked or ‘stuffy’ nose requires extra effort to pull the air through it causing a type of vacuum in the throat that pulls the tissues of the throat together. Therefore, enlarged turbinates, a deviated septum, hay-fever, colds/flu, sinusitis, and allergies can all make snoring worse. In addition, these conditions may cause the patient to ‘mouth-breathe’ that in turn can make snoring worse.