It’s three a.m. in the morning, and groggy with sleep, you get up from bed, grab your pillow, and clumsily make your way to the spare bedroom or couch. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, for millions of people, this is a nightly routine. Why? You share a bedroom with a snorer. Many jokes are made about snoring; however, having to sleep beside a snorer is no laughing matter!
Snoring is produced when inhalation causes a vibration of the soft palate and uvula (the thingy that hangs down in the back of your throat), which in turn is due to either partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway. Obstructions are caused by several factors, two of the more common being overweight, which causes excessive bulkiness of throat tissue, and alcohol consumption before retiring.
A more serious condition, sleep apnea (loss of breath), occurs when the airway is fully blocked for 10-60 seconds, followed by a loud gasping and/or a jerk of the body in an attempt to regain the air. There are two common types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea (SA), and central sleep apnea (CSA).
OSA, the most common, is usually due to a complete obstruction in the upper airway during sleep, resulting in low blood oxygen saturation. The usual sources of the obstructions are excess tissue in the airway, enlarged tonsils, a large tongue, and relaxing and collapsing of airway muscles during sleep. The risks of OSA can include heart attacks, strokes, impotence, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and heart disease - all of which can be moderate to severe.
CSA is characterized by the cessation of breath due to a lack of effort in breathing during sleep. Not as common as OSA, it is usually due to a neuromuscular problem, and is more difficult to treat and diagnosis.
There are several tests that can be done; however, the usual sleep test, polysomnography, is done to diagnose sleep apnea. Depending on the symptoms presented and your general health, your doctor will decide if further tests are needed and which treatment is best for your particular problem.
Now, back to plain old snoring. Also known as Primary Snoring, Simple Snoring, Benign Snoring, and a mouthful of other names, it is characterized by loud breathing, snorting, or whistling/wheezing without apnea. There are mouth devices that might reduce this type of snoring, along with various over-the-counter nasal remedies. However, if these OTC anti-snoring devices work, it’s probably because they’re keeping you awake – not because your problem has been corrected.
If you’re putting off seeing a doctor because you’re afraid of being tied to some sleeping device the rest of your life, then you might be surprised to learn that there are several techniques and/or minor surgical procedures that eliminate snoring or OSA. Or, all you may need to do is lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Remember, though, that regular snoring means you have an obstructed airway of some kind, and obstructions are serious. Plan to see a doctor soon because it’s not funny. Also, take heart because it’s not hopeless, either!