On occasion, at least 45% of average adults snore and about 25% snore habitually. Only usually worsening with age, snoring is a more frequent issue in males and overweight people. Snoring should not be taken lightly as snoring can be an indication of breathing obstructions. Today, we at the ENT Specialists, would like to elaborate on snoring.
When there is an obstruction to the free flow of air through the passages at the back of the mouth and nose, the noisy sounds of snoring are produced. Where the tongue and upper throat meet the soft palate and uvula is the collapsible part of the airway. These structures strike each other and vibrate during breathing, making the snoring affect. Snoring may be a sign of problems with the tonsils and adenoids in children and children that chronically snore should be examined and treated accordingly.
More often than not, people who snore often suffer from the following:
1) The tongue and throat having poor muscle tone: The tongue can fall backwards into the airway or the throat muscles draw in from the sides into the airway when the muscles are too relaxed. Though some relaxation is natural when people fall into deep sleep, it can become more problematic if made worse by alcohol or drugs that induce sleepiness.
2) Throat tissue is excessive and bulky: Kids will frequently snore when they have large tonsils and adenoids. Leading to narrowing airways, people that are overweight have excess soft tissue. In rare instances, patients may also cysts or tumors that also cause the airway to narrow.
3) Palate and/or uvula that is long and soft: From the nose into the throat there is a long palate that narrows the opening. Acting as a noisy flutter valve during relaxed breathing is the result of excessive length of the soft palate and/or uvula.
4) Nasal airways that are obstructed: Requiring extra effort to pull air through a stuffy or blocked nose creates snoring derived from the exaggerated vacuum in the throat that pulls together the floppy tissues of the throat. Snoring, in this case, will occur during the hay fever season or with a cold or sinus infection. Additionally, a deviated septum and other nose or nasal deformities can cause such an obstruction.
Snoring can be considered serious because it disturbs sleeping patterns and deprives people that snore of adequate rest as well as being a sign of obstructive sleep apnea that leads to severe, long-term medical problems.
Obstructive sleep apnea’s leading symptom is snoring. OSA, or Obstructive Sleep Apnea, is due to upper airway narrowing or collapse, which is characterized by multiple episodes of breathing pauses greater than 10 seconds at a time. The heart has to work harder because of the lower amounts of oxygen in the blood. With the disruption in a natural sleep cycle, people feel poorly rested. Apnea patients can experience anywhere between 30 and 300 events a night. The risk of developing heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and many other medical problems increases for patients who do not seek treatment for their OSA.
If you suspect sleep apnea, or simply want to know if your snoring is something to worry about, call the ENT Specialists today!
