It is a condition of noisy breathing while you sleep. During sleep, the pharyngeal muscles relax and the size of the lumen is reduced leading to the airway obstruction, causing vibration of the sounds snoring. It may affect any age group from infancy to aged persons. It is found that snoring is related to daytime dysfunction and heart disease. In most cases, spouse or the relative sleeping next to the affected person is more affected than the snoring person himself.

Causes of snoring

• Snoring may be due to the medical conditions such as Adenoids, Nasal Polyp or due to Deviated nasal septum which gives a minimal area for breathing.
• The hormonal changes in the females after the Menopause also have added to the causes to Snoring.
• In children, Tonsillitis and Adenoids lead to the nasal obstruction and Snoring.
• Enlarged and thick Uvula can be an additional cause.

Effects of snoring
Though there is no immediate effect of snoring on a person,it can lead to disturbed sleep pattern and thereby lead to hypertension and cardiac problems. Poor sleep itself can be a problem for the person resulting in poor work performance the next day.

Treatment for snoring
Snoring and sleep apnea treatment depends on the cause and pathology involved. At Vikram ENT Hospital we use devices such as watch pad polysomnography to monitor/track your sleep pattern. For idiopathic causes, where there is no pathology seen, Orthopedic Pillow will be helpful. This pillow helps in easy passage of the air. Laser surgery for snoring is recommended in case of Adenoids and Polyps.

SLEEP APNEA