For many, snoring during sleep is a cause for concern and discomfort. This especially brings a lot of inconvenience to couples who are forced to hear these uncomfortable sounds from their other half. Snoring during sleep is one of the clinical disorders associated with respiratory function. This is an uncharacteristic process of breathing during sleep, which is accompanied by rattling sounds and vibrations. Undoubtedly, this creates problems not only for the snorer, but also for those who are forced to hear this unpleasant snoring. However, a person often creates illnesses for himself, leading an unhealthy lifestyle, ignoring the signals of the body that report malfunctions in the internal organs. It is snoring that can be such a signal that not only spoils the lives of those who are nearby, but can also report violations inside the body.
Causes of snoring
About 70% of snorers have sleep apnea. This syndrome refers to serious abnormalities that are associated with respiratory arrest during sleep. It is known that during sleep, the uvula and soft palate spontaneously relax in snorers due to the specific structure of the hypopharynx.
Sleep snoring is more common in men than in women. According to statistics, after 30 years, every fifth person suffers from snoring in their sleep. When a person snores during sleep, less oxygen enters the lungs. This leads to temporary hypoxia, increased heart rate and blood pressure jumps.
The simplest cause of snoring can be an uncomfortable sleeping position. It has been observed that people who sleep on their stomachs do not suffer from this problem. Lying on his back, on the contrary, a person may begin to snore loudly due to the relaxed muscles of the larynx. Therefore, the right position during the time is the key to a restful sleep.
Loud snoring can be caused by deviated septum, enlarged tonsils, nasal polyps, and being overweight. When overweight, soft tissues compress the laryngopharynx. Therefore, the larger the chin and excess soft tissue near the throat, the louder the snoring will be. When the airflow passes through the narrowed airways, involuntary snoring occurs during sleep. The walls of the pharynx at the same time are in contact and begin to vibrate. With congenital narrowness of the nasal passages, an elongated uvula, and some malocclusion, a person may also snore during sleep. Another cause of this disease may be a malfunction of the thyroid gland. It is worth noting that with age, the likelihood of snoring during sleep increases. Other causes of snoring include smoking, lack of sleep, menopause in women, chronic fatigue, and taking certain sleeping pills. Alcohol also contributes to snoring because it relaxes the muscles in the hypopharynx.
There is a disease called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This disease manifests itself in the form of snoring, cessation of pulmonary ventilation and a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the blood. This syndrome (apnea) occurs for the same reasons as snoring, only to a more pronounced degree. The difference is that during snoring, the walls of the pharynx vibrate when air passes, and during apnea, they periodically subside, blocking the supply of oxygen to the lungs. With the same causes of diseases, snoring and sleep apnea need to be treated differently. There are simple tests to identify the causes of the disease. To do this, close one nostril and breathe through the other nostril. If breathing difficulties are observed, then strips are recommended to improve breathing. The next test should be carried out in this way: with the mouth closed, simulate snoring, and then, pushing the lower jaw forward, simulate snoring again. If in the second case there is less snoring, then this may indicate retrognathia – a dentoalveolar pathology, which is expressed in an underdeveloped or backward jaw. In this case, special devices for the mouth are used, which shift the lower jaw forward. The next type of test must be carried out with an open mouth. To do this, simulate snoring by keeping your mouth open. Then you need to stretch out the tongue, pressing it with your teeth and imitate snoring. If the snoring in the second case has become less, then the snoring is probably due to the retraction of the tongue. In this case, an intraoral device is used to eliminate snoring. If none of the tests showed the results described, then most likely snoring occurs due to vibrations of the soft palate or uvula.
The dangers of snoring
Snoring or sleep apnea can be dangerous to a person’s health. When a person snores during sleep, he involuntarily wakes himself up with these loud sounds, the brain does not have time to fully perform its functions during the night and there may be a feeling of fatigue during the day. This directly affects performance and well-being. For close people of the snorer, this also causes discomfort, which can even lead to conflicts and nervous breakdowns in the future.
The most dangerous consequences of chronic snoring are short pauses in breathing during sleep. This leads to poor blood oxygenation, which can even lead to strokes and heart attacks. In general, the lack of oxygen during sleep leads to the appearance of arterial hypertension, malfunctions in the heart rhythm, myocardial infarction and strokes.
The disease can lead to such negative consequences as hypertension, headache, poor sleep, nightmares and frequent urination.
With sleep apnea, there is a decrease in the supply of oxygen to the blood, which leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, snoring is a serious health problem.
Snoring treatment
Successful treatment of snoring depends on the methods of treatment, diagnosis and the very desire of the patient. Many do not recognize the importance of treating snoring, so you need to carefully and correctly convince the patient of this. It is not recommended to irritably tell a snorer that he is the cause of insomnia for others. It happens that snorers deny that they snore in their sleep, because they do not hear and do not see themselves from the outside. In this case, it is important to gently explain this to him and tell him about some pauses in breathing in a dream, but it is better to make a video recording on a mobile device. The main thing is to convince a person about the need for treatment on time.
First of all, it is necessary to visit an otolaryngologist, a general practitioner and, in some cases, an endocrinologist. It is also recommended to do a polysomnography to study sleep. An analysis of the parameters of night sleep will allow the doctor to choose the right treatment.
Treating snoring begins with a proper sleep strategy. To do this, select a comfortable position on the side. You need to sleep on low pillows, placing your head parallel to the body. Helps to fix a comfortable position of the head orthopedic pillow.
The next step in treatment is to identify the cause of snoring. If the disease causes difficulty in nasal breathing, then treatment begins with the rehabilitation of nasal respiratory function.
Sometimes, to eliminate snoring, it is necessary to remove nasal polyps or palatine tonsils.
If the patient does not have problems with the respiratory system, then weight loss is recommended, including medications are prescribed to reduce it. In addition, special oral devices are used that fix the lower jaw.
There are also CPAP therapy devices in the form of a sealed nasal mask with a compressor. This device helps the air flow through the respiratory tract and improves the quality of sleep. It eliminates drowsiness, fatigue and a feeling of heaviness in the head.
One of the ways to get rid of the disease is a plate (cap), which is inserted into the oral cavity. The plate fixes the jaws in a certain position to strengthen the muscles and soft palate. However, for those who have problems with their teeth or gums, this method is not suitable.
A solution to the problem may be a special orthopedic pillow for sleeping with a built-in microphone. When the sound of snoring is fixed, the pillow begins to inflate.
The doctor may additionally prescribe a massage to increase the tone of the muscles of the larynx.
If snoring occurs due to excess body weight, then a special diet, exercise and apparatus therapy is recommended.
If there is no desire to contact specialists and the problem of snoring is not dangerous, then you can get rid of the disease at home. One of the causes of the disease can be drinking alcohol and smoking, so you need to get rid of such bad habits. To get rid of snoring, there are breathing techniques that strengthen the muscles of the larynx. The most common of these exercises is yoga exercise A: push the tongue forward and then down for 1-2 seconds, repeating 30 times 2 times a day.
Thus, snoring is an unpleasant, but curable ailment. Snoring brings discomfort to others and danger to the snorer himself. After all, the appearance of an ailment can mean the development of serious diseases in the body. Therefore, it is recommended not to run this pathology, but to seek help and treatment from a specialist.