Snoring

What is it?
Snoring is the sound made when air passes through the blocked or narrowed airway of a person who is sleeping. Almost everyone snores occasionally. However, frequent and loud snoring - especially if the person snores, stops breathing for a few seconds, and then starts again with a loud snort - can accompany obstructive sleep apnea.

What are the causes?
During sleep, the body relaxes. The tongue and lower jaw may drop back against the back of the throat and partially block the airway. The body reacts to this by trying harder to breathe, causing air turbulence and a vibration of soft tissues in the back of the throat, which creates the snoring noise.

How is it diagnosed?
People who snore heavily should see a sleep specialist to find out if the snoring is associated with sleep apnea. All snorers have a partial block of the upper airway. But people with sleep apnea have episodes of upper airway partial or complete obstruction whereby airflow is cut off for 10 or more seconds. Each time it does is an apnea event (see "sleep apnea").

Although snoring is generally harmless, it can cause the sufferer and a close bed partner to arouse repeatedly during sleep, leading to a form of insomnia.

How is it treated?
Several measures may be tried by people who snore:

Change sleep positions - rolling over to one side may help a person who only snores when on his back. Some doctors recommend putting tennis balls in a sock, and pinning the sock to the back of the person's pajama top. It makes laying on the back uncomfortable. Bed positioning that precludes a person getting on the back by space restriction is sometimes helpful.

Wear a dental appliance to bed - some snorers may benefit from an oral appliance that repositions the tongue or the jaw so that airflow is not restricted.

Surgery - an outpatient procedure to remove or reduce excessive and or obstructive tissue in the back of the throat may be beneficial. Somnoplasty is a procedure in which radio frequency waves are used to remove excess tissue. In children, removing the tonsils and adenoids is the most common type of surgery.

Behavioral and lifestyle changes - many, but not all, cases of snoring are related to weight gain. Losing significant weight can be an effective treatment. Refraining from alcohol and sedatives may also help.

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