Snoring

Diagnosis

The following procedure will assist the healthcare provider to properly diagnose snoring:

• Physical examination: A healthcare provider will conduct a physical examination of your mouth, throat, and nose and review your medical history along with your symptoms. To assess the severity of the issue, your healthcare provider may also inquire about your snoring patterns and frequency from your partner. If your child is the one snoring, you will be asked about the loudness of their snores.
• Imaging test: An imaging test, like an X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, or magnetic resonance imaging, may be prescribed by your healthcare provider. These examinations look for structural issues with your airway, such a deviated septum.
• Sleep study: Your healthcare provider might want to perform a polysomnography or sleep study, depending on how severe your snoring is and other symptoms. It’s possible to do sleep study at home on occasion.

However, you might have to spend the night at a sleep center in order to have a thorough examination of your breathing during a sleep study, depending on your other medical conditions and other sleep-related symptoms.

During a polysomnography, you are monitored all night long while attached to numerous sensors. The following details, including your blood oxygen level, respiration, heart rate, brain waves, sleep stages, and eye and leg movements, will be recorded during the sleep study.

Treatment

Several approaches are used by healthcare providers to lessen snoring. The best choice for you will rely on a number of variables, such as how severe your snoring is, your medical history, and your personal preferences.

Improved sleeping posture and opening airways are the main goals of nonsurgical treatments for snoring. These medical interventions could consist of:

• Lifestyle modification: You can lessen snoring by shifting your sleeping position, refraining from alcoholic beverages, and maintaining a healthy weight.
• Medication: Medication for allergies and colds clears your nasal congestion so you can breathe easily.
• Nasal strips: Maintaining open nasal passages can be facilitated by wearing nasal strips, which are flexible bands that adhere to the exterior of the nose.
• Oral appliances: Dental mouthpieces that fit firmly that advance your jaw, tongue, and soft palate to maintain an open airway are called oral appliances.

If you decide to utilize an oral appliance, you will fit and position it as best you can with the help of your dentist. In order to ensure that the oral appliance is performing as intended, you will also collaborate with your sleep specialist. For the purpose of checking your fit and evaluating your dental health, you may need to see a dentist at least once every six months for the first year and then once a year after that.

Wearing these devices may cause negative effects such as dry mouth, excessive salivation, jaw pain, and facial discomfort.

• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP): This method involves covering your mouth or nose while you sleep with a mask. To keep your airway open while you sleep, the mask uses pressurized air directed by a small bedside pump.

The most common use of CPAP is to treat snoring that is linked to OSA since it stops the snore altogether. While CPAP is the most dependable and successful way to treat OSA, some people find it uncomfortable or find it difficult to get used to the machine’s loudness or feel.

Your healthcare providers may perform surgery to address severe snoring. Reducing or removing extra tissue or fixing a structural problem (such as a deviated septum) are the two main objectives of surgery. Surgical interventions could involve:

• Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP): The procedure enhances airflow and decreases tissue in your soft palate. After administering general anesthesia, your surgeon performs a throat lift by tightening and trimming extra tissue.
• Maxillomandibular advancement (MMA): The upper and lower jaws are moved forward during aprocedure known as maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) that helps in opening the airway.
• Radiofrequency tissue ablation: A low-intensity radiofrequency signal is used in radiofrequency tissue ablation to reduce tissue in the tongue, soft palate, and nose. This procedure is also known as somnoplasty.
• Hypoglossal nerve stimulation: A more recent surgical method known as hypoglossal nerve stimulation applies a stimulus to the nerve that controls the tongue’s forward motion so the tongue won’t obstruct the airway when you inhale.
• Septoplasty: Your healthcare provider may advise septoplasty if your septum is deviated. A septoplasty reshapes the bone and cartilage in your nose to optimize ventilation.
• Tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy: An excess of tissue is removed by a surgeon from the back of the nose (adenoidectomy) or the back of the throat (tonsillectomy).