How to Treat Your Snoring Intensity?

Snoring is defined as noisy breathing that you make during sleep. It occurs when your tissue present in the upper airway vibrates. It is a common issue that people experience at some point in their lives. Snoring is normally harmless and treated with lifestyle changes and home remedies. However, at times snoring intensity is associated with an underlying health condition. Therefore, it is recommended to consult a doctor for the same. 

What are the causes of snoring?

There are a number of factors that are contributing to snoring including, allergies, your mouth anatomy, excessive alcohol consumption, weight, a cold, etc. When you sleep, the soft palate, throat, and tongue tend to relax. At times, it relaxes to the point that they block the airway and result in snoring. The narrower your airways are, the more forceful you're the airflow tends to get. Following are the conditions that can result in snoring – 

The Anatomy of your Mouth

When you have a thick, low soft palate, it tends to narrow the airway. Obese people have extra tissues present at the back of their throat, leading to narrow airways. Similarly, if the uvula becomes elongated, it can also restrict the airflow, resulting in increased vibration.

Nasal Issues 

If you are suffering from chronic nasal congestion or have a curved division between the nostrils, it may result in high snoring intensity. 

Excessive Consumption of Alcohol

When individual consume alcohol prior to his or her bedtime, it can cause snoring. Alcohol tends to relax the muscles of the throat and reduces its defense against obstruction of the airway. 

Sleep Position

The chances of snoring are highest when you sleep on the back. This is because, in this position there is more effect of gravity, resulting in throat narrowing the airway. 

Sleep Deprivation

Not getting an adequate amount of sleep can result in throat relaxation, resulting in snoring.

How is Snoring Diagnosed?

Doctors will assess your signs and symptoms, along with your health records to diagnose the condition. Additionally, your doctor will also conduct a physical examination to obtain an automatic sleep report. Following are the tests conducted by the doctors – 

Imaging

Your doctor may perform an imaging test like a computerized tomography scan, X-ray, and magnetic resonance imaging. These tests assess the overall structure of the airway to detect problems. 

Sleep Assessment

Depending on the snoring intensity, your doctor may suggest a sleep study. These studies can be done at an overnight observation center or at home. It entirely depends on your existing medical condition.

The study performs a comprehensive analysis of your breathing pattern and provides automatic sleep report. This sleep study is known as polysomnography. In this sleep study, you are connected with multiple sensors and observed throughout the night. This study records the below information:

·         Level of oxygen in the blood

·         Sleep stages

·         Heart rate

·         Brain waves

·         Movements of eye and level

·         Breathing rate

What are the Treatments of Sleep Apnea?

Following are the treatments suggested by the doctors to treat snoring – 

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

In CPAP, you have to wear a mask over your mouth or nose during sleep. The mask provides you with pressurized air through a small pump attached to it. It constantly works to keep your airway open throughout your sleep.

This treatment is generally used to treat snoring associated with obstructive sleep apnea. While it is quite an effective treatment, it proves to be uncomfortable for many patients. 

Oral Appliances

While oral appliances are less effective than CPAP, they are more comfortable to wear. These are basically fitted dental mouthpieces that push your jaw forward to ensure the airway continues to stay open during the sleep. Your dental specialist will modify the fit as well as the position of the appliance as per your needs.

Surgery

If you are experiencing severe snoring intensity, then surgery of your upper airway might be an effective solution. There are different types of surgical procedures such as maxillomandibular advancement, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, etc. that open your upper airway. This significantly prevents it from narrowing during sleep.

Typically, snoring can be treated with lifestyle changes, but sometimes it becomes serious. In the latter cases, you should consult a doctor and get the required treatment in order to avoid experiencing any critical health conditions in the future.