Ashford Clinic Blog
Snoring & Sleep Apnea 101
We all know that restful sleep is very important. It is a key factor in quality of life, as well as your overall health. Oddly enough, something as common as snoring can keep you from getting the restful sleep you need. In fact, 45% of adults snore at least occasionally and 25% snore habitually. A heavy snorer should seek medical care when it starts to affect quality of life, as this can be an indicator of obstructed breathing and other serious health concerns.
What Happens when you Snore
When the free flow of air to the passages at the back of the nose and mouth is obstructed, snoring occurs. This can be a result of poor muscle tone in the tongue or throat, excessive bulkiness of throat tissue, a long soft palate and/or uvula, or obstructed nasal airways. These things can caused by a cold or sinus infection, a deviated septum, large tonsils or adenoids, being overweight, or (very rarely) cysts and tumors.
Sleep Apnea
Frequent snoring can be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder characterized by multiple episodes of pauses in breathing over 10 seconds in duration. People suffering from this sleep disorder might have 30 to 300 of these events per night. These events cause lower amounts of oxygen in the blood, causing the heart to work harder, in addition to disrupting the natural sleep cycle. If left untreated, this can increase the risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and other medical problems, not to mention the impairment of job performance caused by an increase in sleepiness during the day.
Treatment
Light snoring can often be treated at home through home remedies including:
- Adopting a healthy, athletic lifestyle
- Before bed, avoiding alcohol for 4 hours and heavy meals or snacks 3 hours before sleep
- Sleeping on your side instead of your back
- Establishing regular sleep patterns
- Avoiding sleeping pills, tranquilizers, and antihistamines before bed
- Elevating the head of your bed 4 inches
Sleep apnea, on the other hand, requires more involved diagnosis and treatment. A sleep study may be required to properly diagnose this sleep disorder, and treatment can include:
- CPAP devices that open the airway with a small amount of positive pressure via a nasal mask worn during sleep. This treatment is currently the initial treatment of choice for patients with OSA.
- Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) - a surgery that removes excess soft palate tissue and opens the airway. The size of the air passage may be further enlarged when a tonsillectomy is added to the procedure.
- Thermal ablation procedures that reduce tissue bulk in the nasal turbinates, tongue base, and/or soft palate.
- Methods to increase the stiffness of the soft palate without removing tissue that can include injecting an irritating substance that causes stiffness in the injected area near the uvula.
- Genioglossus and hyoid advancement, a surgical procedure that prevents collapse of the lower throat and pulls the tongue muscles forward, thereby opening the obstructed airway.
- A custom-fit oral appliance, which repositions the lower jaw forward.
- In some patients, significant weight loss can also improve symptoms.
If you are concerned about snoring or sleep apnea, talk with your doctor to determine the best course of action for you.
