Snoring is a common condition that can affect everyone. If you snore occasionally it is not a problem. Those who snore habitually may need medical assistance.
Snoring is caused by obstruction in the air passage. The obstruction may be due to infection in the nostrils, poor tongue and throat muscle which may allow them to fall back into the airway and long soft palate.
People whose snoring is caused by sleep apnea have a 40% higher risk of dying early.
Snoring is related to sleep apnea. But not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. But how do you tell the difference. Those with sleep apnea are likely to suffer from extreme fatigue and sleepiness during the day. This will not be the case for just snoring.
In sleep apnea you have one or more pauses in breathing or you may take shallow breaths while sleeping. Breathing pauses may last from a few seconds to minutes. They may occur 30 times or more an hour. Normal breathing then starts again.
According to U.S. Department of Health & Human Service, untreated sleep apnea can:
• Increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes.
• Increase the risk of, or worsen, heart failure
• Cause irregular heartbeats.
• Increase the chance of having work-related or driving accidents.
Those who are overweight and smokers are likely to have sleep apnea, if they snore during sleep. Some lifestyle changes can help sleep apnea - exercising regularly, quitting smoking, avoiding sleeping pills, alcohol and sedatives, avoiding caffeine and heavy meals within two hours of going to bed and maintaining regular sleep hours. Sleep on your side and not on the back. Using a pillow keep your head up four to six inches high. Elevate your body from the waist up using a foam wedge or a special cervical pillow.
Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure (CPAP) is most commonly used to treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. The CPAP machine is of the size of a tissue box provides constant air flow that keeps your breathing passages open when you are sleeping. You put on a mask at bedtime and switch on the machine and it will do the rest. You will feel the benefits immediately. Next morning you feel very relaxed and energetic. There is no more risk of sleep apnea.
This non-invasive treatment is
effective but patient non-compliance is high. The device is
uncomfortable. The patient will have to use it throughout the night
and every night for whole life.
Because of this some patients prefer
surgical treatment. It is only one time treatment. The downside of
surgery is pain which may last for 2 to 3 weeks, infection, bleeding
and problems in swallowing etc. In the end the surgery may not correct the problem.
Many surgical treatments are also
available to treat obstructive sleep apnea. They include reducing the
soft tissues in the mouth as well as enlarging the skeletal framework
of the jaw. Insertion of implants involves minimally invasive operation and helps in mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea condition.
