What is snoring?
Snoring is a condition that restricts airflow during sleep. That situation does not allow air to flow easily from the nasal and oral cavity, due to the fact that it is channeled through an obstructed area. In this way, the soft tissues of the mouth, throat and nose collide with each other, creating vibrations that cause snoring.
Snoring is a very common phenomenon and is mainly seen in men. This is capable of interrupting the patient’s sleep, while loud and long-lasting snoring might be combined with obstructive sleep apnea. Also, severe and chronic snoring carries many risks, as it increases the chances of heart attack and stroke, burdening the patient’s health.
Snoring: Causes
Snoring can occur in every person from time to time, regardless of age group. However, snoring causes that can result to chronic snoring with alarming effects are:
- Advanced age. This happens, because the muscle tone decreases and causes constricted airways.
- Drinking alcohol and using sedatives. Under the influence of these substances, the muscles relax, restricting the flow of air through the mouth, nose and throat.
- The patient’s anatomy. A long and soft palate, enlarged adenoids, swollen tonsils, the size of the tongue, as well as the structure of the diaphragm can make it difficult for air to flow effortlessly through the respiratory passages.
- Gender. Snoring is mainly seen in men.
- Hereditary factors.
- The patient’s health status.
- Increased body weight.
What are the symptoms of snoring?
The sounds of snoring are divided into silent vibrations, hissing and loud humming. Although, this situation is not always perceived by the sufferers. Some symptoms that indicate the existence of snoring are:
- Waking up during the night.
- Throat dryness and sore throat.
- Intense fatigue during the day.
- Headaches, inability to focus and psychological transitions, resulting from patients’ poor sleep quality.
- Gasping during sleep, because breathing has stopped for a while.
The above signs indicate the existence of sleep apnea, a disorder that leads to serious health problems if not treated in time.
How can snoring be diagnosed?
The otorhinolaryngologist specialist will study your snoring frequency, intensity, diet and lifestyle. Also, the check of blood pressure in combination with patient’s sleep study at home can lead to useful conclusions. The sleep study assesses:
- The activity of brain cells
- Breathing patterns
- Heart rate and blood oxygen levels
- Movements during sleep
- Sleep cycles and snoring
Treatment methods
Snoring treatment methods can be non-surgical or surgical. Non-surgical treatments for snoring include:
- Lifestyle changes, such as the limitation of alcohol consumption, the change of body posture, the change of sleeping position, and the maintenance of a healthy body weight.
- The use of medicines that relieve nasal congestion.
- The use of nasal strips, which keep the nasal passages open.
- The use of special oral appliances, which hold the jaw in the correct position for effortless airflow.
On the other hand, in cases where snoring cannot be treated conservatively, surgical treatment is recommended. These methods are minimally invasive and help remove excess tissue or correct structural problems. More specifically, surgical operations are carried out:
- With methods that reduce the tissue of the soft palate and facilitate air flow.
- With plastic surgery of the nasal septum, which corrects the deviated septum, reshaping the cartilage and bones.
- With tonsillectomy and adenoid removal, where the otorhinolaryngologist surgeon removes excess tissue from the back of the throat and nose.
From all of the above, it is clear that chronic snoring can lead to serious health problems. For this reason, you should contact a specialist doctor, in order to advise you appropriately for your case. Dr. Olga Papadopoulou is a specialised surgeon – otorhinolaryngologist with long experience in the field, capable of dealing with any incident.