Any obstruction to the free flow of air through the nose, mouth and throat can produce noisy sounds of snoring. The area at the back of the mouth and nose is the collapsible part of the airway. At this site tongue and upper throat meet the soft palate and uvula. These structures strike each other and vibrate during breathing and lead to snoring. People who snore may have following factors:

Alcohol or certain drugs not only cause sleepiness but also relax the muscles. Tongue falls backwards into the throat and other throat muscles draw in from the sides into the throat making the upper airway narrow. The same thing can also happen during deep sleep.

Large tonsils and adenoids in children and heavy people with bulky necks and any other swelling in throat can also lead to snoring. All these conditions make the upper airway narrow.

A long soft palate dangles in the back part of mouth and its fluttering movements during relaxed breathing can
produce noise of snoring. A long uvula would create much more noisy breathing.

Snoring is common during an attack of cold or sinus problem (Allergic or common cold). The patients who have stuffy or blocked noses need extra force to suck the air in, Which create an exaggerated vacuum in the throat that pulls together the floppy tissues of the throat and make the upper airway narrow and results in snoring. There are some other common conditions of the nose, which make the nose cavity narrow and they are deviated septum and polyps of the nose. Septum of the nose is a type of curtain that separates one nostril from the other.

Is it funny or can be dangerous?

Snoring would make the person not only an object of ridicule but also causes others sleepless nights and resentfulness. The snorer himself will have disturbed sleeping patterns and will not have proper rest and sleep, which make the person sleepy during working hours of the day. The severe snoring can cause serious health problems such as obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

In Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) loud snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of totally obstructed breathing. If such episodes last for more than ten seconds each and occur more than seven times per hour it is a serious problem. OSA patients may have 30 to 300 such events per night, which have the potential to reduce blood oxygen levels and cause heart problems. Improper and poor rest while sleeping in night impair the job performance and make the snorer a risky driver or machine operator. In the long run good number of OSA patients develop high blood pressure and enlarged heart problems.

Self-Help for the Light Snorer

Mild or occasional snoring may be controlled by the following self-help remedies. The snorer should adopt a healthy and athletic lifestyle that will help him not only in developing good muscle tone but also in losing weight. He should avoid taking medicines particularly before bedtime, which cause drowsiness such as tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and antihistamines. The person should avoid alcohol for at least four hours and heavy meals or snacks for three hours before going to bed. One should establish regular sleeping patterns. The patient must sleep on his side rather than his back. Raising the head of your bed upwards four Inches (by placing bricks under the bedposts of the bed at the head-side) will significantly reduces the intensity of the snoring noise. The person who snores should allow other room partners to sleep first so that snoring noise will disturb their sleep least.

Heavy snorers, those who snore in any position or are disruptive to the family, should seek medical advice to ensure that sleep apnea is not a problem. Such persons need a thorough examination of the nose, mouth, throat, palate, and neck. A sleep study In a laboratory environment may be necessary to determine how serious the snoring Is and what effects It has on the snorer’s health.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the cause of snoring. The thorough examination will reveal the cause of snoring such as nasal allergy, infection, deformity, or tonsils and adenoids. The following treatments are offered for Snoring or OSA.

The operation Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) tightens flabby tissues in the throat and palate, and widens airway. It is usually done for treating OSA. In Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty (TAP) we use bipolar cautery, laser, and radlofrequency. These procedures and techniques treat snoring and some of them also are used to treat various severities of OSA. Laser Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP) treats snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea by removing the obstruction in the airway. In this technique laser vaporizes the uvula and a specified portion of the soft palate. It is done in a series of small procedures under local anaesthesia. Radiofrequency ablation utilizes a needle electrode to emit energy to shrink excess tissue to the upper airway such as the soft palate and uvula (for snoring), back part of the tongue (for obstructive sleep apnea), and nasal turbinates (for chronic nasal obstruction). The surgery of Genioglossus and hyod advancement is performed for OSA. This operation prevents collapse of the lower throat and pulls the tongue muscles forward. In this way obstructed airway is widened. In children tonsils and adenoids problems are quite common. The operations of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy help them in returning to their full health.

In certain patients these surgeries are too risky or unwanted. These patients can be helped by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The patient sleep every night with a nasal mask that delivers air pressure into the throat.