SNORING & OSA

Snoring & OSA 2017-04-30T03:17:16+00:00

Have you received complaints because of your snoring?

Because of it’s frequency, snoring has been mistakenly considered normal. 30% of men and 10% of women snore. The patient who snores is the least person the know the severity of the problem, often being the sleeping partner who suffers, being a cause of divorce or sleeping in another room.

There are several types of snoring, each with its own repercussions to health.

  • Basic snore. This person snores because of alcoholic beverages, muscle relaxants, fatigue or has the flue. It’s a lite snore which disappears a few days later.
  • Snoring because of airway resistance. Loud daily snoring occurs. Sleep is fragmented and causes some repercussions the next day like sleepiness, headache and drowsiness.
  • Snoring because of Sleep Apnea. The most severe level of snoring, the patient stops breathing for 10 seconds or more which leads to dangerous consequences like an increase in cardiac frequency and blood pressure. This happens all night, causing nightmares and waking up frequently with a choking sensation.

All who snores loudly or stops breathing must be checked with a specialized doctor with a sleep study. These are realized in sleep clinics and are able to determine the type of snoring and what the health repercussions are.

It’s important the sleep study is interpreted and signed by a certified specialist in Sleep Disorders, this will ensure the quality of the study as well as following the guidelines of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine

CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, is a treatment that uses mild air pressure to keep the airways open. It has the option to stop using if a problem arises. The support from a Sleep Disorder specialist is fundamental, because it’s necessary to change the type of mask or pressure utilized.

Other Options

There are other treatment options but not as effective. There can be surgery and it consists in removing the soft palate or even the uvula, it helps to reduce snoring but not apneas.

Mandibular progress helps to improve the problem, in some patients in can solve the problem, it is more effective in people who are not obese.

Suggestions

This tips will help reduce snoring and apneas, if these persist seek help from a specialist.

  • Try sleeping on your side, sleeping face up always increases snoring, put a pillow on your back
  • Loosing weight always helps
  • Do not take medicines that cause sleepiness like diazepam or drugs.
  • Do not drink alcoholic beverages