Snoring
More than 40 million adults snore. That is approximately
20% of the adult population, and 60% of men over 40.
How does snoring happen?
As you drift off muscle relaxation can cause the tongue to press on the flabby tissue at the back of the throat causing the airway to start narrowing. With less room for air to pass, the pressure is increased causing the flabby tissue to flap back and forth.
What causes snoring?
Common causes of snoring include aging and weight gain. As you age, the tissue in your throat begins to sag and vibrate more. Weight gain leads to fat deposits, which narrow the air passageway. The more narrow the passageway, the more serious the sleep disorder.
Related Health Issues
The sound of snoring can cause the snorer to arouse from his sleep and prevent the snorer from going into deeper, more restful levels of sleep.
- Bed partners of snorers have their sleep interrupted an average of 21 times a night compared to an average of 27 times per night for the snorer.
- The more times per week someone snores, the more likely they are to have daytime sleepiness.
- Some snorers produce sound that is louder than the decibel level allowed in the workplace, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) working environment standards.
- The decibel level from snoring can be high enough to cause damage to the human ear.
- Bed partners of particularly noisy snorers have been shown to have a substantial incidence of partial deafness in the ear that faces their snoring bedmate.
- The internal vibration in the inner ear caused by snoring makes the snorer highly susceptible to hearing loss.
- Heavy snorers develop small lesions around the nerve endings in the pharynx resulting from the chronic vibration of the tissues during snoring. These lesions may play a role in the development of more serious sleep disorders.
Analysis and Treatment
The Center for Sound Sleep provides professional analysis of sleep behavior through an initial examination and a simple overnight take-home sleep test. Based on your results we will recommend treatment specific to your situation. For example, if you need to manage “simple” or nuisance snoring for your sake and the sake of your bed partner, we typically provide oral appliance therapy as a solution. We find that a good night’s rest can have a transformative impact on everyone involved.
