Snoring – What is it?

Snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when air flowing past relaxed tissues in your throat causes them to vibrate as you breathe. Everyone can snore and may from time to time, but chronic snoring can lead to different health concerns. Medical experts believe the two most common negative health effects linked to snoring are daytime dysfunction and heart disease. However, if your snoring is paired with excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, morning headaches, restless sleep, or gasping or choking at night then this could be a sign of a more serious sleeping disorder called obstructive sleep apnea; which half of the loud snorers suffer from.

What causes it?

There are many factors that can either cause you to snore or are related to snoring. First and foremost the anatomy of your mouth has a lot to do with if you snore and to the degree that you snore. If you have a low and thicker soft palate this can narrow your airway, squeezing airflow through a smaller airway causes more vibrations and the result is snoring. Also, overweight individuals, especially those with more fatty tissue around the neck, are likely to have more narrow airways. Alcohol consumption or consuming muscle relaxers before sleep causes snoring by relaxing the throat muscles and obstructing airflow. Sleep position is a major factor determining whether one snores or not. Snoring is most frequent and loudest when one sleeps on their back, giving gravity place to affect the throat and further narrow airways.

Common risk factors include: being a man, being overweight, having a narrow airway based on the construction of your mouth, and having a family history of snoring or obstructive sleep apnea. Aging also contributes by progressively leading to the relaxation of throat muscles, limiting airflow, and increasing vibrations.

Possible Solutions

Certain lifestyle changes offer a great solution to your snoring problem. With a few changes you will be off to a fuller more restful sleep, and your sleeping partner will be thanking you.

• Losing weight, although sometimes easier said than done, is a simple and effective way to reduce and eliminate snoring by lessening the amount of fatty tissue around the throat and clearing up your air passages.
• Avoiding the consumption of alcohol before or leading up to bedtime can help counteract snoring.
• Sleeping on your left side as opposed to sleeping on your back can greatly reduce snoring and may get rid of it altogether. Sleeping with a body pillow or taping a tennis ball to your back will encourage you to sleep on your side by offering a more comfortable and snore-less sleeping position.
• Taking a hot shower before bed, applying a mentholated topical ointment to the inside of your nose, or using nasal strips can help open and clear your airways before sleep and can help combat nighttime snoring.

Why Get Treatment?

Getting treatment is important for both you and your partner’s sake! Snoring throughout every night leads to poor sleep quality which leads to daytime irritability, sleepiness, fatigue, lack of concentration, among other waketime dysfunctions. These will apply to you and your partner if they are kept up, or experience disrupted sleep during the night because of sleep inhibiting snoring. Lack of sleep and disrupted sleep due to reoccurring snoring can also lead to cardiac problems and may be the sign of more disorders.

Doctors agree that snoring is a very treatable condition using methods such as lifestyle and sleep hygiene changes, dental appliances, and positive airway pressure therapy when necessary. Treatment allows you to get the sleep you need so you can feel refreshed and satisfied with your sleep. Schedule an appointment with your personal physician, dentist, or one of our Board Certified Sleep Physicians to discuss your Sleep Profile and treatment recommendations for your snoring issues.