Silence That Snoring For A Better Night's Sleep

Health & Medical Blog

Snoring is a sign that you are struggling to breath. Some part of your airway is blocking your body's attempt to get enough air into your lungs. The sound of the snoring comes from the blockage causing tissues to vibrate. Here are the major reasons for snoring and how to get rid of it so you can get a restful night's sleep.

Airway Obstacles

Your airway runs between your nose and your lungs. Should anything along that route prevent air from moving smoothly, you risk not being able to get enough air and start snoring. The harder your body must work to get air, the louder the snoring will be. Some of the typical airway obstacles include:

• the soft palate in the roof of your mouth becomes thickened or enlarged and hangs down into the airway
• the small oval piece of tissue that hangs down in the back of your throat, called the uvula, becomes swollen and vibrates against the sides of your throat
• a sinus infection from an allergy or disease causes the soft tissues in the nasal passages to become inflamed
• the cartilage in your nose constricts the nasal passageways

Snoring Treatments

All of the treatment options are focused on opening up the airway so your body can get more air through it. The options range from drug store solutions to surgery. See you family doctor to determine what the precise cause of your snoring is so you can start treatment with the right approach. The various treatment options include:

Nasal strips - These are small springy strips that adhere to the outside of your nose. Their goal is to hold your nostrils open slightly to increase your airway. These are available at your local drug store. The strips may only be a temporary solution. As the snoring gets worse, the strips may not give you much relief.

Antihistamines - If your doctor detects signs of an allergy, they may have you try taking an antihistamine before you go to sleep. This will reduce the inflammation of the tissue in your airway and let you breathe easier.

Antibiotics - If you have a sinus infection, your doctor will put you on a course of antibiotics to clear up the inflammation.

Oral appliances - This is a device that you keep in your mouth at night while you are sleeping. It holds the soft palate against the roof of your mouth so it doesn't vibrate. It also keeps your mouth open slightly so you can get more air into your lungs.

Removal of the uvula - An uvulectomy can be done to remove the piece of tissue that hangs down in your throat.

Reduction of the soft palate - Part of the soft palate can be removed so it doesn't hang down into your throat and vibrate.

Reconstruction of the nasal cartilage - Rhinoplasty is done to straighten out the cartilage in your nose to open up the constricted nasal passages.

With many of these treatments, you'll start to see improvement right away. To learn more, contact a clinic like Rochester Otolaryngology Group PC. 

13 July 2016