Snoring Treatment Beverly Hills CA
What Causes Snoring ?
Snoring occurs when air travels faster through a narrow tube than through a broad one. This rapidly moving air causes the relaxed soft tissues of the throat to vibrate. It is this vibration that creates the sound of snoring.
This narrowing of the upper airway can be due to large tonsils, a long uvula (the small piece of soft tissue that dangles from the soft palate over the back of the tongue) or excessive flabby tissue in the throat. In other cases, nasal congestion from allergies or deformities of the cartilage between the two sides of the nose can contribute to narrowing of the airway.
However, the most common cause of narrowing of the upper airway is a tongue muscle that becomes too relaxed during sleep. When relaxed, the muscle is sucked into the back of the throat with each breath taken.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) occurs when the airway completely collapses, blocking airflow into the lungs. The Sleep Apnea Cycle - falling asleep, jaw relaxing, airway collapsing, unconsciously awakening with a gasp, falling back asleep - can repeat itself 50 or more times per hour during the night.
By keeping the airway open, air travels more slowly, reducing throat vibrations and thus reducing or stopping snoring. One of the most effective ways to keep the airway open during sleep is by holding the tongue forward. Depending on the candidacy your sleep apnea surgery or products are available to keep the airway open and allow for air to pass.
Who is Affected by Snoring
Risk factors for OSA include obesity, large neck size, or abnormalities of the skull, face, nose and oral cavity. Besides snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep, one common symptom of OSA is excessive sleepiness (ES), which is the inability to consistently achieve and sustain wakefulness and alertness to accomplish the tasks of daily living.
Nearly 60 percent of the adult population suffers from problem snoring. This percentage increases each year in people aged 50 and older, as tissues in the upper airway lose elasticity and tend to vibrate more during breathing, increasing the incidence of snoring. When the airway is reduced during sleep, the tongue is more easily sucked into the back of the throat and obstructs the airway.
- Sixty percent of men and 40 percent of women over the age of 40 are habitual snorers.
- Snoring is common in children between the ages 2 and 7, particularly if they have a chest infection or enlarged tonsils.
- Snoring is also commonly experienced by women during the later stages of pregnancy.
Snorers experience fatigue, morning headaches, dry mouth, relationship difficulties, lower blood oxygen levels and other associated consequences. Also, taking into account the snorer's spouse and children, as many as 160 million people are negatively affected by snoring. Snoring can be very distressing for sleep partners, with banishment from the bedroom for the snorer. Sleep disturbance/deprivation to sleep partners is very real, with a negative impact on well-being and quality of life. Snoring can also cause embarrassment or humiliation when traveling with others.
Snorers can fight the condition with surgery or products such as a oral dental appliance device, an affordable, custom-made snore prevention device that is flexible, thin and comfortable for the patient. It helps reduce or eliminate snoring by moving the lower jaw forward, opening the airway to allow air to move more freely.
Health Consequence
Snoring and sleep apnea are more than just a nuisance. Serious health issues could also result.
Snoring and sleep apnea inhibit deep, restorative sleep. This results in extreme tiredness through the following day, which can negatively affect personal, intellectual and physical performance and quality of life.
And snoring doesn't merely interrupt your sleep cycle. The struggle for breath can result in soaring blood pressure, which can damage the walls of the carotid arteries and increase the risk of stroke. At certain levels of severity, complete blockage of the airway space by the soft tissues and the tongue can occur. If this period of asphyxiation lasts longer than 10 seconds, it is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a medical condition with serious long-term effects.
Obstruction of the airway causes the heart rate to fall below normal, with decreases in blood oxygen levels. The obstruction will not clear until blood oxygen levels fall low enough to trigger the brain to send a signal for a release of adrenaline to prevent suffocation. The airway obstruction is usually broken with a gasp for air and, due to the adrenaline release, an increased heart rate.
Reduced blood oxygen levels during the night also cause the brain to send signals through the nervous system to protect vital organs, the heart and the brain. To compensate for the low blood oxygen levels, blood vessels are instructed to tighten up to increase blood flow and ensure the heart and brain get the required amount of oxygen. This tightening of the blood vessels causes hypertension and high blood pressure. Night-induced blood pressure continues into the day, even with normal breathing. Reduced blood oxygen levels can also stimulate the production of red blood cells. This thickens the blood and slows circulation, worsening the situation.
Snoring Is Not Necessarily Sleep Apnea
It is important to distinguish between snoring and OSA. Many people snore. It's estimated that approximately 30% to 50% of the US population snore at one time or another, some significantly. Everyone has heard stories of men and women whose snoring can be heard rooms away from where they are sleeping.
Snoring of this magnitude can cause several problems, including marital discord, sleep disturbances and waking episodes sometimes caused by one's own snoring. But, snoring does not always equal OSA; sometimes it is only a social inconvenience. Still, even a social inconvenience can require treatment, and there are several options available to chronic snorers.
Some non-medical treatments that may alleviate snoring include:
- Weight loss — as little as 10 pounds may be enough to make a difference.
- Change of sleeping position — Because you tend to snore more when sleeping on your back, sleeping on your side may be helpful.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and heavy meals — especially within two hours of bedtime.
- Avoid sedatives — which can relax your throat muscles and increase the tendency for airway obstruction related to snoring.
Your doctor has other treatment options, including the following:
- Radio Frequency (RF) of the Soft Palate uses radio waves to shrink the tissue in the throat or tongue, thereby increasing the space in the throat and making airway obstruction less likely. Over the course of several treatments the inner tissue shrinks while the outer tissue remains unharmed. Several treatments may be required, but the long-term success of this procedure has not as yet been determined.
- Laser-Assisted Uvuloplasty (LAUP) is a surgical procedure that removes the uvula and surrounding tissue to open the airway behind the palate. This procedure is generally used to relieve snoring and can be performed in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon's office with local or general anesthesia.
Risk factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnea include obesity, large neck circumference, or abnormalities of the skull, face, nose and oral cavity. One common symptom of OSA is excessive sleepiness , which is the inability to consistently achieve and sustain wakefulness and alertness to accomplish the tasks of daily living.
Diagnosing Sleep Disorders
If you exhibit several OSA symptoms, it's important you visit your Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon for a complete examination and an accurate diagnosis.
At your first visit, your doctor will take a medical history and perform a head and neck examination looking for problems that might contribute to sleep-related breathing problems. An interview with your bed partner or other household members about your sleeping and waking behavior may be in order. If the doctor suspects a sleep disorder, you will be referred to a sleep clinic, which will monitor your nighttime sleep patterns through a special test called polysomnography.
Polysomnography will require you to sleep at the clinic overnight while a video camera monitors your sleep pattern and gathers data about the number and length of each breathing cessation or other problems that disturb your sleep. Often a "split night" study is done during which a C-PAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device is used. During polysomnography, every effort is made to limit disturbances to your sleep.
©2006-2012 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS). All rights reserved.
Epworth sleep test