Reader DT, 30 years old, District 1, HCMC: I am 30 years old and have been married for 2 years. I sleep soundly and do not have insomnia, but I snore when I sleep, which annoys my wife a lot. I would like to ask if this condition can be cured and how effective is the treatment?
MSc.BS.CKII Le Nhat Vinh, Head of the Interdisciplinary Department of Eyes - Ear, Nose and Throat - Dentistry - Dermatology, Nam Saigon International General Hospital:
Hello DT,
Snoring is a common condition in middle age, and is more common in men than women. This is an unconscious sound during sleep, caused by the flow of air through a narrow space, causing vibrations in the mucous membranes and soft tissues, creating a sound that can be annoying to the person next to you.
Snoring can be divided into 3 levels:
- Level 1: snores little, snoring sound is not loud, lying on your side may stop snoring.
- Level 2: loud snoring, lying on your side may reduce or eliminate snoring.
- Level 3: snoring is very loud, even when lying on the side or in other positions, accompanied by temporary suffocation. People with level 3 snoring often feel tired after waking up.
Prolonged snoring, especially at level 3, can lead to more serious health problems such as: sleep apnea, waking up in the middle of the night, insomnia. This can cause dangerous complications such as: high blood pressure, arrhythmia, myocardial ischemia, stroke, and physiological decline.
Snoring can come from many different causes:
- Obesity, overweight: increases pressure on the airways.
- Alcohol: relaxes the muscles in the back of the throat, causing snoring.
- Diseases: due to some upper respiratory diseases such as nasal congestion, nasal polyps, laryngopharyngeal reflux disease...
- Narrowing of the pharynx due to long uvula, enlarged tonsils, enlarged base of tongue, abnormal structure of epiglottis cartilage.
- Abnormalities of maxillofacial structure.
I sympathize with your situation when you suffer from snoring, which is annoying to your partner and affects your married life. You should explain clearly to your relatives to receive sympathy, because this is a health problem and this condition occurs unconsciously, beyond your wishes. Next, the doctor would like to inform you: snoring can be completely treated or significantly reduced if the cause is accurately determined.
Currently, there are many methods to treat and reduce snoring, depending on the cause and condition:
Mild snoring:
- Lying on your side while sleeping helps significantly improve snoring.
- Do not smoke or drink alcohol.
- Avoid eating too much, fatty foods before going to bed.
- Weight loss, strict weight control for overweight and obese people.
- Get enough sleep and exercise regularly.
- Avoid taking sedatives.
- Keep your nose clear and avoid nasal congestion.
The above non-drug treatments change lifestyle habits, improve health and significantly reduce mild snoring.
Loud and excessive snoring: If you snore too loudly, wake up in the middle of the night, feel tired... then it is very possible that your snoring is related to sleep apnea - a syndrome that is dangerous to your health.
In this case, the doctor will perform a thorough diagnosis to determine the condition of snoring and sleep apnea by using a polysomnography to record the physiological changes that occur during sleep. Then, you will have an upper airway endoscopy while awake and during sleep, from which the specialist will give the correct treatment method.
Treatments for loud snoring and sleep apnea include:
- Jaw elevator: used to keep the lower jaw and tongue forward, fix the soft palate up to prevent the airway from closing during sleep. Jaw elevator is used in case you have a characteristic lower jaw structure: small and protruding back.
- Use a positive airway pressure (PAP) machine: use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to deliver a continuous positive airflow into the airway to prevent the throat muscles from collapsing. This is an effective treatment for snoring and sleep apnea but requires continuous maintenance.
- Upper respiratory surgery: perform the appropriate type of surgery for the cause of obstruction such as: tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, turbinate resection, uvula reshaping surgery, tongue base surgery... to treat sleep apnea and snoring.
- In addition, it is necessary to simultaneously implement preventive measures to avoid recurrence, including: avoiding alcohol and beer; not smoking; not using sedatives or muscle relaxants; changing sleeping position to lying on your side; controlling weight; treating hypothyroidism if you have it...
With your current condition, you should go to reputable respiratory and ENT facilities and hospitals to perform the necessary tests to accurately determine the condition and cause of your snoring problem. From there, the specialist will provide a treatment method appropriate to your snoring condition, helping to improve sleep and health, improving the quality of life for you and your family.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/chung-ngay-khi-ngu-co-tri-duoc-khong-post759299.html
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