Snoring is not something which is alien to us. In fact, there is a literature that says that up to 75% of Britons snore! Not only is the person snoring troubled due to poor quality of sleep and sleep deprivation, his/ her partner too is at the receiving end. Snoring can lead even lead to strained sexual life apart from cardiac ailments like high blood pressure, heart attacks, stoke and respiratory distress! Snoring actually comes under the purview of Sleep Apnea Syndrome. It is a medical disorder in which there is intermittent cessation of breathing while the person is asleep. This disorder can have an obstructive (mechanical) cause or a central cause i.e. related to central nervous system malfunctions or both. As the airflow movement gets stopped, the person vigorously tries to overcome it. This labored breathing generates sound from the upper airways and is termed as snoring. The various steps to ‘stop snoring’ are discussed below.
1. Weight reduction
Obese people are more prone to snoring as they have redundant tissue around their upper airway, which aggravates mechanical obstruction. Already in lying down posture, tissues tend to fall backwards, blocking the air pipe. More tissue just adds to that obstruction. Simple diet modifications and some routine exercise schedules would go a long way in deferring surgery.
2. Quit smoking
Smoking injures the cilliary movement of mucous in the upper airway including the sinuses. It adds to the accumulated secretions and obstruction of air flow. Quitting smoking would not only help in getting relief from snoring but also protect one from innumerable lung diseases and cancers. ‘Secondary smoke’ or ‘Passive Smoking’ is equally dangerous.
3. Avoid alcohol
Alcohol has a relaxant action. Already as pointed out, the main problem of snoring is that the airways collapse. With the sedation produced by alcohol, snoring gets worsened. Avoiding all sedatives and alcoholic beverages prior to sleeping is an effective measure to combat snoring.
4. Sleeping positions
As explained before, lying straight would pull the tissues down, due to the force of gravity. Thus, lying down on laterally is an effective measure which helps to open up the clogged airway. Tip: A very handy home therapy is to stitch a pocket in the sleeping pajamas and putting a small rubber ball in it. As the person becomes supine he/she is hurt and has to roll over to one side!
5. Nasal medications
Many people who have some nasal blockade/discharge or cold (complaining of a stuffy nose) often, also are snorers. They need to manage it with nasal decongestants and douching. Steam inhalation also helps to humidify the tract and helps to clear the airway. Use of saline is also advocated to moisturize the secretions so that they don’t get collected. Use of topical steroids for allergies is a very effective way to manage localized inflammation of the nasal passage.
6. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
CPAP is delivered through a mechanical device, affixed to the nose, which gives a continuous volume of air, at a preset pressure to the airway. This way it prevents the air passage from collapsing. Its major disadvantage is that it’s a cumbersome device, which is quite noisy to sleep with.
7. Dental devices
Aside from popular stop snoring devices, the dental devices are basically supports of the upper airway preventing them from collapse. Some of them support the palate, some pull the jaw forwards thus also putting traction on the tongue and preventing it from fall. They have to be custom made after giving appropriate measures in the form of moulds, taken by dentists. Although they have a documented benefit, the predispose one to Tempormandibular-joint diseases.
8. Allergies
Treating allergies with oral and locally applied medications like steroids (e.g. Fluticasone) and anti-histaminics and avoiding known allergens go a long way to prevent snoring.
9. Surgical correction
After a thorough evaluation like polysomnography and cephalometry, one may opt for various surgeries which aim to get rid of the redundant tissue around the airway or give it some mechanical support e.g. Dacron implant in palate. Some common surgeries are Uvulo-palato-pharyngo-plaasty, Laser assisted uvuloplasty, hyoid enhancement, osteotomy of maxilla or mandible etc. Nasal pathologies amenable to surgical correction like deviated nasal septum or polyp help to treat snoring by eliminate.
10. Yoga
Pranayam and Kapalbhati may help a few. These breathing exercises when done in the morning, empty stomach are very useful in controlling snoring.
