drwale
New Member
Snoring refers to an unpleasant noisy breathing produced by the vibration of the soft tissues of the upper airway during sleep. Essentially, it indicates increased upper airway resistance leading to turbulent flow of air which is more common when breathing in than out. It is worthy of mention to state that occasional snoring is almost universal to all. In other words, almost everyone snores once in a while. However, statistics have shown that habitual snoring is more common amongst men, affecting about 44% of males and 28% of females within the age bracket of 30 - 60 years. Furthermore, several factors have been identified as making snoring more likely in an individual and these include a supine sleeping position (face-up), obesity, nasal obstruction, smoking, alcoholism and use of sedatives or tranquilizers. Similarly, medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, acromegaly, nasal congestion, enlarged tonsils (especially in children) and craniofacial abnormalities can all lead to snoring.
In the light of the aforementioned, therefore, the management of snoring is geared towards addressing these underlying factors and is categorised into patient-administered interventions which the patient can undertake on their own, nonsurgical physician interventions and surgical interventions.
Before we discuss how to manage this bad habit, let us look at some of the problems that may arise from untreated snoring over time:
1. Social problems such as marital disharmony when one partner persistently disturbs the other and embarrassment as a result of snoring in public settings.
2. Snoring has also been linked to psychological issues such as difficulty with concentrating as well as mood disorders like anxiety and depression.
3. Also, if snoring becomes so bad it disrupts a person's sleep at night or that of the partner, they may suffer from daytime sleepiness which may adversely affect performance at work or even their ability to drive safely.
4. Lastly, some studies have discovered links between habitual snoring and increased risk of heart attack and stroke, although these have yet to be confirmed.
Here are few treatment options for persons who tend to snore habitually:
1. Lifestyle adjustment
For obese persons, a healthy weight loss through dietary changes and regular exercise is a necessary step to take. Alcoholics need to reduce their alcohol intake while people who smoke should quit the habit as these may be the reasons for snoring. In the same vein, avoid indiscriminate use of sedatives or tranquilizers unless prescribed by your doctor.
2. Posture adjustment and sleep position training
Since the supine sleep position tends to be associated with snoring, it should be discouraged in those who snore. Such measures include a tennis ball or some other hard object taped to the back of the person's night dress or the use of back pillows or bed wedges to prevent them from lying on the back.
3. Steroid nasal sprays and decongestants may also help to relieve nasal congestion where this is the suspected reason for snoring.
4. Other self-administered interventions include the use of nasal dilators or splints which help reduce nasal resistance and obstruction by keeping the nasal alae apart. Individuals who snore as a result of mouth-breathing may benefit from commercially available chin straps to keep the mouth closed during sleep.
5. Nonsurgical physician interventions
Failure of the above-mentioned measures may necessitate nonsurgical procedures by the physician, the most popular of which is the insertion of mandibular advancement devices for those whose snoring comes from obstruction at the tongue base or mouth breathers. Such patients can also benefit from tongue retaining devices which work by holding the front part of the tongue forward. Although many people find them rather inconvenient to use, nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices are very effective and have been shown to reduce the number of snores per hour from 154 to 3.
6. Surgical interventions
The surgical removal of the adenoids and tonsils (adenotonsillectomy) is usually done for adults and children who snore as a result of enlarged tonsils. Other surgical interventions include septoplasty (for those with deviation of nasal septum), polypectomy to remove nasal polyps, turbinate reduction, tongue base reduction as well as various palatal surgeries.
Image Credit: mirror.co.uk
