Snoring can occur due to many reasons. Essentially it occurs due to the relaxation of the tongue, soft tissues and throat. Air, as a result, has difficulty passing and the partially obstructed airway and causes the relaxed throat tissue to vibrate. This produces snoring. The more narrow the passageway, the louder the snore. Snoring can occur occasionally or be a nightly problem.
Causes
The Mayo clinic lists numerous causes for snoring. The first has to do with the anatomy of the mouth. A thick soft palate or enlarge tonsils and throat tissues can produce snoring. Also the hanging piece of tissue in the back of the throat, called the uvula, if elongated, can obstruct air from passing. Another cause is alcohol consumption. Alcohol relaxes the tissues in the mouth, producing again a decreased airway. Finally nasal deformities or a deviated septum can reduce the normal flow of air through the nose, which in turn causes mouth breathing and snoring.
To breathe or not to breathe
Snoring also may be associated with a serious condition known as sleep apnea. As the muscles continue to relax through the night, they can obstruct the air passages completely. This causes the people, who have this condition, to stop breathing for a few seconds. The carbon dioxide buildup in the blood, alerts your brain to get more oxygen, and in turn it wakes you up briefly in order for you to start breathing again. The result of all this is that you do not get a good nights sleep and inability for your body to get the rest it needs. Over the long haul, this lack of bodily replenishment, can cause problems such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and high blood pressure. In children, there’s a potential for the development of ADD or ADHD. Sleep apnea needs to be diagnosed by sleep studies, but is usually characterized by periods of snoring, followed by periods of silence. This pattern can continue on many times during the night.
Solutions
Doctors at the Mayo clinic usually try to treat snoring by instituting lifestyle changes first. These may include trying to sleep on the side versus the back or to place their patients on a diet to lose weight. If this doesn’t work other options are available. Some of these are surgical procedures such as a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, a fancy term for removal of the uvula and the reduction of soft tissue in the back of the throat, to enlarge the air passages and decrease the likelihood of snoring. Appliance therapy, if appropriate, can reposition the lower jaw or mandible to advance the position of the tongue and soft palate to achieve a greater opening. For sleep apnea, a CPAP, is worn to force air through a pressurized mask over the nose, to inflate and push back the throat tissues maintaining the air passageway.
Help yourself
The Mayo Clinic clinicians suggest that, until you see a doctor, you may be able to alleviate some of the snoring by following these tips. You can lose weight, if overweight. You can sleep on your side or wear nasal strips on your nose. Spraying a decongestant for nasal obstruction is recommended, while surgery for physical obstructions, such as a deviated septum, is suggested. Finally limiting anything that can cause relaxation of the muscles is advised. These include sedatives and alcoholic beverages. The danger here is that, these substances, cause a delay in the waking up process during sleep apnea, creating the potential for heart attack.
To read more about snoring and sleep apnea visit the Mayo Clinic's Snoring page
