Snoring

Banished from the bedroom again? Don’t let snoring ruin your sleep…or your relationship.

The fact is that everyone snores occasionally. But regular, consistent snoring can affect the quantity and quality of your sleep, leading to a variety of problems and health issues.

When you breathe, oxygen travels through your nose and throat. If your air passages are wide enough, air flows freely. However, if the air passages are constricted or simply not wide enough, the tissues in your throat, namely the palate, vibrate. This is what you hear as snoring.

Constricted airflow can be caused by many things – nasal congestion, obstructions, nasal polyps, sinus infections, swollen turbinates, allergies, deviated septum, chronic sinusitis, weight gain, and more. When you can’t pass air freely through your nose, you turn to breathe through your mouth, which leads to snoring.

Anatomical abnormalities such as a floppy soft palate, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, or an elongated uvula are also common findings in people who snore. In fact, it is common for snorers to have more than one contributing anatomical factor.

Many procedures focus on stiffening the palate to reduce snoring. However, secondary causes of snoring such as nasal congestion, obstruction, or anatomical abnormalities must also be addressed in order for you to find relief. Snoring can be more than just a noisy nuisance; it may signal a more serious problem such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Believe it or not, snoring can be more than just a nuisance to those around you. If you snore, it means that your upper airway is becoming resistant to airflow when you sleep. Just ask yourself, do you snore when you’re awake? Of course not! And sometimes the noise is signaling a bigger problem; that you may not be moving enough air when you sleep.

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