When Snoring Becomes a Nightmare
September 3, 2009 in Conditions & Treatments
For a growing number of Americans, snoring can cause more than a few sleepless nights. According to the American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA), more than 50 million Americans suffer from a snoring disorder. Thought of as just an “annoying” problem that plagues certain people, snoring disorders actually may result in potential health problems with long-term affects if not properly treated.
Snoring results from not receiving an adequate amount of air while sleeping. As snorers fall asleep, their muscles relax, causing their airways to become partially blocked
and the throat structures to vibrate as air flows through the passages at the back of the mouth and nose.
“Snoring can be an annoying and embarrassing problem for many who suffer from the condition. Most people underestimate its effects,” said Arif Shaikh, M.D., Board Certified Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist on the medical staff at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital.
According to Dr. Shaikh, loud breathing sounds (referred to as “snoring”) made during sleep relate to a narrowing in the upper airway, at the base of the tongue. The sound that snoring causes is from the uvula, the flap of tissue that hangs down in the archway that moves up and down.
Dr. Shaikh added that there are two types of snoring: hard and soft. Soft snoring results when the muscle tone of the soft palate, which keeps the air passage open in the throat for adequate breathing, weakens. Breathing then becomes noisy when the soft palate becomes a vibrating noisemaker as the air moves across it. Hard snoring occurs when there is a physical obstruction such as bulky tissue blocking the air passage.
Both types of snoring can result in various heath problems, the most prominent being constant fatigue and exhaustion.
Lack of sleep night after night due to snoring can cause sleep apnea, according to American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA). Sleep apnea occurs when a person stops breathing during the night for one minute or longer. It is estimated that this can occur more than 100 times in one night. The person usually wakes up for a short period of time, which ends the apnea attack. Many don’t even remember waking up.
Common treatments for a snoring disorder include Continued Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), a nose mask and compressor pump that pushes air through narrow airways; a sleep mask, which covers the nose and keeps the airway open during sleep; and
minor surgical procedures on the soft palate to tighten the flap of tissue.
Article provided to the La Quinta Chamber of Commerce
