If you or your close ones snore
regularly, it is time you stop
considering it a minor problem and
seek medical help
Laugh and the world laughs with you,
snore and you sleep alone. This wise
quip by an English literary great
sums up how difficult snoring can be
on those living with a snorer.
Sleeping with a snorer can cause the
partner fragmented or lack of
sleep; in the case of spouses, it is
known to hamper their relationship
as well. But for the snorer himself,
snoring can be the tip of an iceberg
of sleep-related disorders that need
medical attention.
Loud, unpleasant and embarrassing
snoring happens due to obstructed
air movement during breathing. Like
any sound, snoring too is caused by
vibrations that causes particles in
the air to form sound waves. Just as
our vocal cords vibrate to form our
voice, turbulent airflow cause the
tissues of nose and throat to vibrate
which results in snoring. However,
the health hazards are often
overlooked. Excessive snoring, for
instance, can mean sleep apnoea - a
disorder where one suffers
extremely low breathing during
sleep.
Snorer's woes
While deep sleep is key to normal
body functioning, snoring obstructs
you from getting there. Sleep
quality is important for secretion of
essential hormones such as growth
hormone, melatonin and cortisol.
When sleep quality suffers and
harms hormone functioning, it leads
to several problems such as obesity,
early ageing, lethargy and
hypertension. A snorer's body
struggles to breathe, leading to drop
in oxygen supply to the blood which
in turn triggers faster heart rate to
prevent oxygen deprivation.
Contrary to popular perception
snorers are not always fat with thick
necks, and can have any body type.
Thin people with slim necks are prone
to snoring just as loudly. Sleep
medicine specialist Dr Preeti
Devnani says snoring must always be
medically investigated. "Examining
one's snoring can unravel complex
sleep disorders. A hyper tensive who
snores, for instance, is likely to have
sleep apnea which can cause
premature stroke, reduced immunity
and heart ailments," she says. So it
is advisable that a snorer consults an
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)
specialist and undergoes a few tests
to assess its seriousness.
How it happens
When we sit or breathe at ease, air
flow from our nose or mouth to
lungs is steady. Under exertion, like
while exercising, air quickly glides
through the nose or mouth
generating audible breathing sounds.
In sleep, the area at the back of the
throat narrows at times. The air
passing through the breathing
apparatus causes tissues surrounding
the opening to vibrate, producing
snores. Various types of snoring too
indicate what the problem could be;
closedmouth snoring points at a
tongue problem, openmouth snoring
could be due to throat tissues,
snoring while sleeping on your back
is often mild snoring that is easily
curable; while snoring in all postures
may indicate that it needs serious
treatment. With age, snoring only
worsens.
Snap out of it
Simple lifestyle alterations can
greatly reduce snoring. Lose weight,
quit smoking, avoid alcohol and
heavy dinners to conquer snoring.
Sleeping on your side helps reduce
snoring and as does using higher
pillows that help deconstrict your
throat. You can also try nasal strips
that aid in breathing or a throat
spray that softens the soft tissues.
As for medical treatments, dental
appliances such as oral devices and
jaw-positioners help open up the
airway. Serious snorers may resort
to Continuous Positive Airway
Pressure (CPAP), which is a machine
that blows pressurised air into a
mask that you wear over your nose
or face. This keeps your airway open
during sleep. In extreme cases,
surgery can increase the airway size
by removing or rectifying tissues.
Sleepless nights
A few months ago, software
engineer Sachin Mahamuni moved to
Mumbai from Pune. He shares his
experience of living with a 'snorer'
in a rented accomodation: "For the
first week, I couldn't sleep a wink.
My roommate would snore
incessantly and in the silence of the
night, it sounded amplified. All I
needed after a long day's work, was
a night's rest and I just couldn't get
myself to sleep. I spent many
restless nights and slept only in the
wee hours of the morning. I'm so
tired that I've learnt to sleep
through it."
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