While snoring is a worldwide concern and affliction, sufferers often battle to find useful snoring and apnea information, especially with regard to how these may be eradicated. Therefore we have thought it helpful to put together a concise list of the most common causes of these afflictions, as well as snoring cures.
Snoring occurs when the air flows over relaxed tissues in your throat, causing
the tissues to vibrate as you breathe creating harsh sounds. The more narrowed
your airway the more forceful the airflow becomes, tissue vibration increases
and your snoring grows louder.
A Variety of factors can lead to snoring, including:
Obstructed nasal airways:
Partially blocked nasal passages require extra effort to transfer air through
them while sleeping. This can pull together or collapse the non-rigid soft
and dangling tissue of the throat, resulting in snoring. Some people snore
only during the allergy seasons or when they have a sinus infection. Deformities
of the nose such as a deviated septum (a structural change in the wall that
separates one nostril from the other) or nasal polyps can also cause obstruction
and sleep problems.
Poor muscle tone in the throat and tongue:
Throat and tongue muscles can be too relaxed, which allows them to collapse
and fall back into the airway. This can result from deep sleep, alcohol, and
the consumption of some sleeping pills though no relationship has been made with diet and snoring.
Normal aging causes faster relaxation of these muscles and increases the potential for snoring.
Bulky throat tissue:
Being overweight can cause bulky throat tissue. Also, children with large
tonsils and adenoids often snore.
Long soft palate and/or uvula:
A long soft palate or a long uvula (the dangling tissue in the back of the
mouth) can narrow the opening from the nose to the throat. When these structures
vibrate and bump against one another during sleep, the airway becomes obstructed
causing snoring.
Smoking:
Smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to snore because their airways
become inflamed and blocked.
Sleeping on your back
Sleep Apnea:
Sometimes people who snore also suffer from sleep apnea. Apnea refers to periods
of interrupted breathing which can last 10 seconds or longer. Essentially
the same process as snoring occurs except that muscles relax to such an extent
they cause a complete rather than partial obstruction. When sleep apnea takes
place, a buildup of carbon dioxide occurs in the blood stream. The brain detects
a lack of oxygen and reacts by waking the person in order for normal breathing
to resume. Sleep apnea can occur several times a night and the effects of
broken sleep are the same as with snoring. However, the chance of heart failure
increases with sleep apnea as the heart has to work so much harder. A sleep
study is usually conducted and a c-pap device prescribed.
Mandibular Advancement Devices or Splints.
The splint treats snoring by moving the lower jaw forward slightly, which
tightens the soft tissue and muscles of the upper airway to prevent obstruction
of the airway during sleep. The tightening created by the anti snoring device
also prevents the tissues of the upper airway from vibrating as air passes
over them - the most common cause of snoring.
C-pap Device
The C-pap machine blows air at a prescribed pressure. The necessary pressure
is usually determined by a sleep physician after review of a sleep study.
Surgery
Surgical snoring cures that are commonly available include: Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty
(UPPP), Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP), Somnoplasty (radiofrequency
tissue ablation), Tongue suspension procedure, injection snoreplasty.
Check this page regularly for more snoring information, as well as apnea information, and more news on how these irregularities influence your health and wellbeing.
If you are overweight, try to lose it.
Avoid alcohol, dairy products and rich foods before bedtime and generally eat healthily.
Raise the head of your bed
Sleep on your side (sew a ball in the back of your pyjama top or wedge a pillow under your back to stop you rolling over.)
Keep your nasal passages clear using a humidifier, inhaling steam, nasal spray and antihistamine tablets can be taken on the advice of your pharmacist.
Snoring is a problem because it effects everyone in earshot, including the person who is snoring. Many previously happy relationships reach breaking point as a direct result of broken sleep patterns. For the snorer it can result in the following:
European Respirative Dentistry - Long term use of Mandibular Advancement Devices
erj.ersjopurnals.com/cgi/content/full/17
/3/462
Department of Restorative Dentistry, Glasgow Dental Hospital - Ten year follow up of Mandibular Advancement Devices
www.websciences.org.cftemplate/NAPS/archives
/indiv.cfm?ID=20081267
Department of Orthidontics - Umea University, Sweden
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11398551