Stop that snoring!

André Foote, Contributor

Tired of your spouse angrily shaking you out of deep slumber to tell you to stop snoring? Or maybe you are the one with the pillow over your head at nights. Sounds funny, but snoring can disrupt sleep patterns, cause headaches and leave you drowsy throughout the day. It may also be an indication of other potentially serious medical issues such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

What is OSA?

OSA results when breathing periodically stops for several seconds during sleep due to complete or partial blockage of the airway by the soft tissues and tongue. As mentioned before, snoring is a symptom of this condition. The struggle to breathe begins when muscles and soft tissues in the throat and mouth become too relaxed and cause narrowing of the airway. The soft palate, uvula (fleshy flap at the back of the throat) and in some cases, the tonsils and adenoids then vibrate. The narrower the airway becomes, the more the tissues vibrate and the louder the sound.

What causes OSA?

The reasons are varied and include, but are not limited to obesity, swollen tonsils or adenoids; dental conditions, for example, a large overbite; tumour or growth in the airway; certain birth defects causing enlargement of tongue and jaw; allergies; deviated septum; smoking; excessive alcohol use and sedative use.

When should you be concerned?

OSA can lead to serious long-term effects, such as high blood pressure, stroke and heart failure. So it's important to visit your doctor or dentist for proper treatment if you or your bed partner snores loudly and heavily, gasps, chokes or stops breathing while asleep, is overly sleepy during the day, and has tried home treatments, but without success.

Treatment

At home: Depending on the reason for your snoring, losing weight, limiting alcohol and sedative use before bedtime, quitting smoking, sleeping on your side, and applying nasal strips or sprays, may lessen your distress.

Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP): Your doctor or dentist may recommend using a CPAP machine to force air into the airway to clear breathing obstructions. The upside to this method is that it yields very good results and is relatively low risk when utilised under medical supervision. On the other hand, it is a noisy and costly contraption requiring the snorer to wear a mask while sleeping.

Surgically removing respiration-impairing structures from the airway: This alternative is not a guaranteed cure. Current techniques have reaped moderate success and it is said that risk of complications like infection and impaired functioning of the throat muscles, renders it an option of last resort.

Oral breathing appliances: Less invasive and more budget-friendly, oral breathing appliances are custom-fitted to your mouth by a dentist to ensure comfort and efficacy. They work by moving the lower jaw forward to increase space in the airway and reduce soft tissue vibration. Small movements of the jaw are possible, thus minimising jaw stiffness in the morning. Even in cases of nasal congestion, the appliance allows unrestricted breathing through the mouth, promoting deeper, more restful sleep.

Therefore, if habitual snoring ails you, visit your medical doctor or dentist and put yourself on the right path for treatment.

André Foote, DDS, is a dental surgeon at Twin Gates Dental Centre. Email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com