Snoring may not be as harmless as it may seem. It is not only a nuisance to your partner, but could signal broader health problems. Quality sleep is important to keep you rejuvenated during the day. Snoring accompanied by daytime complaints of fatigue and sleepiness should be evaluated by a specialist in sleep apnea, snoring and ENT.
Don’t let your loved ones get affected from your irritability and snoring sounds while putting yourself at potential risk too. Visiting a specialised ENT clinic, like The ENT Clinic which is based in Singapore, gives you access to an experienced, friendly medical staff to discuss your snoring worries and fix the on-going problem. Fixing your snoring not only protects your health, but also favorably improves your quality of life.
Is Snoring An Issue?
Occasional snoring is not alarming. Regardless of gender, one might have a few episodes of snoring on and off, when one has nasal congestion or sleeping in a way which obstructs the airway. The frequency of snoring tends to increase with age too.
Snoring can be troublesome to your bed partner. They may complain of disrupted sleep patterns due to the loud sounds you make while sleeping. If your snoring disturbs others in the house, then it is certainly affecting your sleep quality too unconsciously.
Snoring loudly and frequently is a warning signal which you should not ignore. Seeking medical attention from an experienced ENT doctor will put you in safe hands. Snoring should be investigated as it is a symptom of a silent killer called obstructive sleep apnea.
What are the risk factors and causes of snoring?
Snoring occurs when air passes through a blocked nasal passage or airway causing loud noises. Interruption to the passage of air can be caused due to several reasons:
- Congestion: When one has a nasal congestion due to an allergy or sinusitis, then it is common to experience snoring. The airways are blocked due to the congestion, causing vibrations and sounds to be emanated.
- Position while sleeping: Sleeping on your back can cause you to experience greater snoring than when sleeping on your side.
- Obstruction: Your nasal passage and airway could have anatomical structures which cause the airway to be narrow and obstructed. In addition, nasal polyps could also cause the air passage to be blocked.
- Alcohol consumption: Alcohol and illicit drugs can cause muscles to relax and collapse, narrowing the air passage.
- Muscle tone: With time the tone of your throat and tongue muscles can collapse. Relaxation of muscles causes the airway to collapse which leads to snoring.
- Oversized tonsils: Children who have enlarged adenoids and tonsils pose a risk factor for snoring. Obese children and adults could have extra throat tissue which can block the airways.
- Shape of soft palate: The shape of your soft palate can cause the throat way to narrow, leading to a partially or blocked airway.
- Gender: Men tend to snore more than women.
Obesity is a risk factor for snoring. Losing weight through exercise could help you resolve your issues of snoring and improve your health.
When can snoring be more of a health concern?
Partial or complete blockage of the airway can be due to an underlying health issue such as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder which can cause breathing to start and stop. If you snore loudly and is fatigued even after a full night’s sleep then you may be a victim of obstructive sleep apnea.
What are health signs that there may be an underlying issue?
- Gaining weight in an unexplained manner
- Fatigue in day time
- Headaches in morning
- High blood pressure
- Loss of memory and focus
- Gasping for breath when sleeping
- Breathing pauses when asleep
- Angina
Snoring accompanied by any of the above symptoms could indicate sleep apnea.
What is Sleep Apnea?
It is a serious sleep disorder which causes breathing to stop and start suddenly at night. When muscles at the rear of your throat collapse and are unable to keep open, then sleep is disrupted. This causes oxygen deprivation to the brain which is a serious condition. Sleep apnea causes sleep fragmentation, restlessness and a poor sleep habit.
Obstructive sleep apnea causes heart disease, mood swings, high blood pressure and loss of memory. This is a condition which needs an immediate review by an otolaryngologist.
How to address snoring?
Sleep apnea can be sorted by keeping the airways open. This can be done using a CPAP machine, which allows continuous positive airway pressure. This keeps the airway forced open, helping an individual to breath smoothly through the night. The CPAP machine brings a peaceful sleep to you and family while improving the quality of your sleep.
Other recommendations by your ENT doctor would include quitting alcohol consumption, reducing weight and corrective surgery for removing obstructions in the nasal passage and nasal polyps.
When to seek professional help by an ENT doctor?
Regular snoring associated with morning headaches, high blood pressure, fatigue and angina needs professional intervention by an ENT specialist. Your ENT doctor will perform a physical examination of your nasal passage and throat. In addition, the ENT doctor will take medical history and have a chat with your bed partner too, to understand the severity and frequency of snoring.
Your doctor might suggest imaging to see the structure of your airways and perform a sleep study for further analysis of your sleep patterns. The ENT Clinic in Singapore helps with sleep assessments and finding the cause behind your snoring episodes. Conveniently located in Gleneagles Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, the practice is the go-to place for your otolaryngological maladies.
