Snoring occurs when a person’s upper airway tissue vibrates, making them breathe noisily. During sleep, the soft tissues and tongue relax. This can partially block the airway. If the air coming in and out of the airway meets resistance, vibration can occur, causing snoring.
Causes and symptoms:
- Deviated septum turbinate hypertrophy or other structural features
- Sleeping on your back
- Obesity
- Stress
- Using depressants or other muscle relaxants
- Smoking and drinking alcohol
- Genetic characteristics that affect the structure of the mouth and throat
- Congestion from a cold or allergy
- Being male and middle-aged
- Pregnancy
- Low levels of high density lipoprotein, or good cholesterol
Sleep apnea:
Snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea means stop breathing for a while during sleep, then may there is choking or gasping sounds. A person with sleep apnea may complains from:
- Daytime sleepiness
- Insomnia
- Morning headaches
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
- Irritability
- Low libido, or sex drive
- Sore throat and dryness upon awakening
- Restless sleep
- Gasping or choking at night
- High blood pressure
- Chest pain at night
- Your snoring is so loud it’s disrupting your partner’s sleep
- In children, poor attention span, behavioral issues or poor performance in school
- Frequent frustration or anger
- A greater risk of high blood pressure, heart conditions and stroke
- An increased risk of motor vehicle accidents due to lack of sleep
Diagnosis:
By physical examination nose mouth and throat and my need Flexible Nasopharyngoscopy for evaluation the level of narrowing airway sleep study (polysomnography) at home, or you may need to spend the night in a sleep center.
Management and treatment:
Life style changes may help
Avoiding alcohol and sedating medications
Changing sleep positions, a person who sleeps on their back can cause their tongue to relax and block the airway.
Alternative sleeping positions and methods to try include:
- Sleeping on your side
- Raising the head of the bed
- Using an anti-snore pillow to improve neck position
- Another tip is to sew a tennis ball or other soft object in the back of a person’s sleep shirt. This might help prevent rolling over to the
- back sleeping position.
Weight loss:
In a person with obesity, fat tissue can surround and narrow the airway, obstructing the airflow, which can lead to snoring.
Oral appliances:
A custom fitted oral appliance, similar to a retainer or mouth guard, may help keep the airway open by moving the tongue and jaw slightly forward.
Relieving Nasal Obstruction
Nasal congestion is often due to inflammation. Medicines and other techniques can help reduce congestion and inflammation.
- Nasal strips
- Corticosteroid and moisturizing nasal sprays
- Antihistamines
- A room humidifier
Throat exercises:
Research Trusted Source suggests that throat exercises may help strengthen throat muscles and prevent them from collapsing during sleep in some people.
Here are examples of exercises recommend:
- Repeating each vowel (“a, e, i, o, u”) out loud several times a day for 3 minutes.
- Closing your mouth and pursing your lips, and holding this for 30 seconds.
- Opening your mouth and tightening the muscle at the back of the throat for 30 seconds. Repeat several times.
- Making a vowel sound intermittently and then continuously for 3 minutes each day.
- Putting the tip of the tongue behind the top front teeth, and then sliding the tongue backward. Do this for 3 minutes every day.
- Pushing the tongue against the roof of the mouth for 3 minutes each day.
- Pressing the tongue into the bottom of the mouth while keeping the tip against the front teeth for 3 minutes a day.
- Opening the mouth and moving the jaw to one side. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
- A person will need to practice these exercises consistently and regularly to see results.
Following good sleep hygiene practices:
Develop a good sleep hygiene program by getting consistent sleep on a comfortable bed, in a dark, cool room. Experts link inadequate sleep with weight gain, which can lead to snoring.
Where possible, follow these tips Trusted Source for getting a good night’s sleep:
- Ensuring the bed is comfortable
- Making sure the room is cool and quiet
- Using blinds or heavy curtains to restrict outside light
- Sticking to a regular sleeping and waking schedule, even on weekends
- Avoiding screen time before sleeping
- Avoiding eating large meals and drinking fluids close to bedtime
- Taking part in exercise, but not within 2–3 hours of bedtime
- Avoiding caffeine and nicotine Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants, and alcohol can cause a person to sleep more lightly than normal.
- Keeping smartphones and other devices outside the room.
Learn ways to manage stress:
A person can follow a bedtime routine, such as reading a book, listening to music, or taking a bath to relax.
Stopping smoking
Medical treatments
If a persons snoring or sleep apnea is severe, a doctor may suggest treatment alongside lifestyle measures.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
This is the first-line treatment for people with obstructive sleep apnea. A person wears a specialized mask during sleep that delivers pressurized air.
Surgery:
In some cases, surgery may help resolve severe snoring. Several options are available for people with snoring or sleep apnea, but results are often difficult to predict and less robust than CPAP.
They include:
Laser Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP).
LAUP reduces tissue in your soft palate and uvula. and improves airflow.
Ablation Therapy.
Also called Somno plasty, this technique uses radiofrequency energy to shrink excess tissue in your soft palate and tongue.
Septoplasty.
If you have a deviated septum, your provider may recommend Septoplasty. A Septoplasty improves airflow through your nose by reshaping the cartilage and bone.
Tonsillectomy or Adenoidectomy.
A surgeon removes excess tissue from the back of your throat (tonsillectomy) or the back of your nose (adenoidectomy).
Palatal implants, which involve inserting small fiber rods into the soft palate to stiffen loose tissue.
Radiofrequency stiffens loose tissue in and around the throat and tongue.
Genioglossus advancement involves moving the tongue attachment forward to allow for more breathing space.
