Snoring is common and can lead to sleep disruptions. While occasional and mild snoring is not usually worrisome, chronic snoring is linked to certain health risks.
Snoring Is Normal
Though snoring could be a nuisance for people who share the same room, it is common and normal for several people to snore. In fact, almost everyone, including young children and babies, ends up snoring at some point.
When one breathes, air gets pushed through the throat, mouth, and nose. An airway blockage could lead to tissue vibrations against each other as air travels through the tongue, adenoids, tonsils, and soft palate. Such vibrations due to an airway blockage lead to a rattling and rumbling noise or snore.
There are various factors that could lead to airway blockages. These include alcohol and sedatives, age, sex, anatomy, family history, weight, sleep position, sleep deprivation, long soft palate or uvula, bulky throat tissue, poor muscle tone in the tongue and throat, drug use, and general health.
When Snoring Is Concerning
Though snoring is normal, jarring and loud snores is actually a symptom of sleep apnea, which is a condition that makes a person pause their breath while asleep. If snoring happens with apneic episodes, which are times of gasping for air during sleep, as well as other symptoms like fatigue, it is important to see a doctor.
While snoring itself does not seem to have any complications, sleep apnea can lead to certain problems. These issues include light sleeping, frequent waking, heart strain, and poor sleep at night.
If a healthcare provider suspects a sleep disorder, a sleep study may be recommended. This can be performed at home or in a sleep center. Such a sleep study looks into brain wave activity, oxygen levels, heart rate, breathing patterns, sleep cycles, snoring, and sleep movements.
Chronic snoring could also increase health risks, such as concentration difficulties, hypoxia (decreased levels of blood oxygen), heart attack, fatigue, stroke, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
Snoring Management and Prevention
There are various treatments that can be used for treating snoring. The exact treatment may depend on various factors, such as snoring severity, and may vary from case to case.
Specialists can make use of nonsurgical and surgical snoring treatments. Nonsurgical treatments may include medications, lifestyle changes, oral appliances, and nasal strips. Surgical treatments may include ablation therapy, LAUP (laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty), adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy, and septoplasty.
There are also certain lifestyle changes that could aid in reducing or stopping snoring. These include the avoidance of sedatives, medications for nasal congestion relief (as advised by a healthcare provider), physical activity, head elevation during sleep, sleeping on the side rather than the back, having a snore-reducing pillow, and sticking to a sleep schedule.
Healthcare providers can also grant personalized recommendations based on a person's needs.
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