Is Snoring Killing You?

Is Snoring Killing You?

  

Just about everyone snores every now and then, even a baby or your dog.  But snoring can dramatically affect the quality of your life.  If your snoring is so loud that your bed partner can’t sleep, you may end up banished from the bedroom. Snoring can lead to relationship stress, poor sleep, daytime fatigue, irritability and increased health problems.  Snoring can also indicate a more serious condition known as sleep apnea, a potentially life threatening condition that usually requires medical attention. 

 

What are the most common causes of snoring?

1.  Age: As you reach middle age and beyond your throat narrows and the muscle tone in your throat decreases.

2.  The way you’re built: Men are more likely to snore due to a more narrow air passage. Other factors are enlarged adenoids, cleft palate, and other physical attributes that can be hereditary.

3.  Nasal and Sinus Problems: Blocked airways make breathing difficult and create a vacuum in the throat leading to snoring.

4.  Being overweight: Fatty tissue and poor muscle tone contribute to snoring.

5.  Alcohol, smoking and medications:  Alcohol intake, smoking and certain medications can increase muscle relaxation leading to snoring.

6.  Sleep Posture: Sleeping flat on you back causes the soft palate in your throat to relax and block the airway.

 

Is snoring the same as Sleep Apnea?

No, snoring is simply a loud sound that you make during breathing while asleep if there is any obstruction in your airway.  However, people with sleep apnea are deprived of oxygen due to a complete blockage of the airway which can have a major impact on health. 

 

Medical Remedies for snoring

1.  Surgery: Tissue can surgically be removed to widen the airway and plastic implants are inserted into the soft palate.  Scar tissue grows around these implants stiffening the soft palate

 

2.  Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP): A machine at your bedside blows pressurized air into a mask that you wear over you face.  

3.   A Dental Appliance, lower jaw-positioner:  An appliance worn at night that advances the lower jaw forward, opening the airway.  This is by far the most non-invasive and most tolerable option.

   
 

*The dental appliance fits inside your mouth much like a mouth guard or retainer.  

Finally, a few “Self Help” tips for snoring

1.    Sleep on your side not on your back.

2.    Lose Weight.

3.    Avoid alcohol, tobacco and certain medications.

4.    Elevate the head of your bed 4-6 inches.

5.    Maintain regular sleep hours.

6.    Keep bedroom air moist.

7.    Avoid large meals prior to bedtime.

The good news is there are many things you can do to help

snoring that are not invasive and relatively inexpensive.