Snoring - An Involuntary Disturbance while Sleeping

Snoring means noisy breathing through the mouth or nose during the time one is sleeping. If you are a quiet sleeper, the unhindered air will pass from your nose and throat to your lungs silently. For others with blocked nose, something disrupts the flow of air and the base of the tongue restricts all the breathing. So it is basically the soft tissue in your upper palate or throat that gets in the way of breathing and starts vibrating. This leads to snoring.

Causes for snoring

While you are sleeping, your throat tissues and the muscles in your mouth relax including the soft palate and your tongue. Air from outside moves past these relaxed muscles and tissues. As a result, the relaxed tissues vibrate every time you take a breath and that results in instant snoring. There are other cases, which leads to severe snoring. Individuals who possess an extended uvula and are obese frequently have a snoring tendency. However other factors of snoring include deviated or crooked septum in one's nose, minor congestion illnesses and large amount of alcohol consumption.

Aftereffects of snoring

Snoring can become really dangerous at times. It is often either a symptom of Apnea or even lead to Apnea in severe cases. Apnea sufferers are not only diagnosed as depressed but also suffer from lack of sleep and frequent exhaustion. Sleep apnea caused from snoring raises your blood pressure, leads to stroke, heart attack and death and even reduces the flow of oxygen to the brain.

A close research also proves that snoring often leads to diabetes. So to avoid problems like heart trouble, increased blood pressure, sudden stroke or even death in extreme cases, you should immediately consult the doctor.

Treatments associated with snoring

There are some common treatments for snoring that promise complete cure within a few days. Some common medical treatments for snoring include continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP], oral devices [including dental appliances and lower jaw positioners] and surgery. CPAP consists of sleeping with an air mask that will help to maintain continuous air pressure in the throat. However, a wide range of dental appliances, oral devices and lower jaw adjusters are available in the market to alleviate snoring.

The surgical treatments for snoring include Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty (TAP) that treats snoring and various other types of sleep Apnea. The types of TAP include: laser-assisted uvula palatoplasty (LAUP) and radio frequency ablation (or "somnoplasty"). You should visit the doctor to know which treatment will be best for you. While for snoring, the soft palate and uvula are reduced, for obstructive sleep Apnea, the base of the tongue is reduced and for chronic nasal obstruction, nasal turbinate is reduced.

Take actions against snoring to lead a happy and healthy life.