Are you worried about the noise you make? Maybe it’s you who snores all you have an aforementioned partner, husband, or wife? Whatever the cause, snoring can become an issue for the person sleeping and the other.
In this blog post we take an in-depth look at Snoring, what it is what it is, how it occurs and what some of the potential treatment options are.
Why do people snore?
Snoring occurs when a portion of your airway is narrowed while you’re asleep and relaxed, this narrowing may reverberate as you breathe causing the snoring sound.
Anything which makes the narrowing of your snore smaller or helps you relax and sleep may increase the chance of snoring. Think about things like:
Being overweight. The extra weight may impede the airway, putting more pressure on the smaller part and cause you to breathe more.
Drinking lots of alcohol. This can encourage a deeper sleep/unconsciousness which means the muscles relax and the airway narrows.
Do not sleep on your back. Your tongue can slide back closing the airway.
Stopping smoking. Smoking can irritate and restrict your airway making snoring more likely.
There are also medical conditions like sleep apnoea that causes your airway to be temporarily blocked while you’re asleep. It is not always related to alcohol, weight or the position in which you lie down.
How do you stop snoring?
Before you begin looking into strategies to stop snoring, it’s recommended to examine why you’re snoring at all in the first in the first place. This will provide a more specific solution.
Strategies to stop snoring include:
A mandibular advancement device.
Surgery.
CPAP Machines (Constant Positive Air Pressure).
These techniques to reduce snoring addition to the more obvious losing weight, drinking less and cutting down on smoking.
Mandibular advancement devices
Following a snoring assessment by your dentist mandibular advancement devices can significantly reduce the amount of snoring you experience. They work by pulling your lower jaw forwards, as your jaw is moved forward, the muscles around it also pull forwards and open up your airway.
This method is so efficient that emergency medical staff will force your jaw forward if unconscious. This act by itself can help to open and airway, and allow an unconscious patient to breathe more comfortably.
You would wear your mandibular advance device at night They are comfy to wear and help you to get a restful nights rest, free of sleeping through the night.
This type of device is one of the stop-snoring devices that actually work.
Other ways to stop snoring
Other ways to reduce snoring include items like pillows that prevent snoring and devices that stop the person from sleeping on their back. All of these devices work in the same way in that they allow you to adjust your position whilst sleeping so that you do not snore.
If your snoring isn’t solely due to your position then you still may find that you are prone to snore while using various other devices, if this is the case then using a mandibular advance device could be more suitable for you.
Operation to stop from snoring
There is an operation known as a somnoplasty, this operation is a quick procedure to modify the shape of your airway, particularly uvula and soft palate. It is done with local anaesthetics, making it quite quick and quick recovery time.
However, this treatment is not suitable for people suffering from sleep apnoea.
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) or OSA
OSA can take snoring to the next level, due to this condition, the muscles relax so much that the airway becomes completely blocked, when this happens breathing becomes impossible.
Obstructive sleep apnoea could affect children, women and even men alike, affecting their sleep patterns and general health.
If the apnoea lasts more than 10 seconds then the oxygen levels in blood can decrease and cause hypoxia. If this occurs frequently during the night it can result in a very disruptive sleep.
CPAP Machine
In extreme situations, a positive air pressure machine could be utilized to ensure that the airway remains open. This will ensure that the blood remains oxygenated and since the airway isn’t shut which is the case, sleep can be much better.
This type of machine will be prescribed by your doctor following sleep apnoea testing.
If you’re experiencing the habit of snoring (as as opposed sleeping apnoea) and you would like further advice about which device can assist, contact us now.
