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Understanding Snoring
WebMD Feature
How
Do I Know If I Snore?
First, your doctor will ask about any allergies you
may have, as well as about your eating patterns,
what drugs you take, and whether you drink alcohol
or smoke. If these are not the culprits, your doctor
may examine your throat and nasal passages for any
signs of nasal deformities.
If
your doctor suspects that you have obstructive sleep
apnea, your partner may be asked to keep a diary
noting your sleeping patterns, or you may take a
sleep-monitoring study, which will analyze when and
how often you stop breathing during sleep.
What
Are the Treatments?
There are hundreds of products, exercises, medical
devices, drugs, and surgeries purported to treat
snoring. However, in most cases, simple lifestyle
changes can stop snoring. They include:
Don't drink alcohol within three hours of bedtime.
Avoid sedatives and antihistamines (especially at
bedtime).
-
If
your are overweight, exercise.
-
If
you suffer from allergies, try to eliminate
allergens in the bedroom such as removing a pet,
regularly washing your sheets in hot water to remove
dust mites, or removing any mold.
-
Sleep on your side.
-
Use
a humidifier if your home is too dry.
There is a variety of products designed to help you
sleep on your side -- a position that may decrease
snoring. These may or may not help.
There is also a variety of products designed to
dilate the nasal passages, such as nasal strips or
nasal support devices. These may work in some people
with congestion or nasal abnormalities.
Other products include pills, sprays, and herbal
products that purport to decrease nasal congestion
and devices to correct (eliminate) mouth breathing.
These haven't been aggressively studied.
If
you have a jaw or mouth abnormality that is causing
nasal obstruction, your dentist may fit you with a
mouthpiece that may correct the problem and lessen
snoring.
If
your doctor suspects that you have sleep apnea,
treatment includes:
-
Weight loss, if you are overweight.
-
CPAP
(continuous positive airway pressure). This is a
device that blows pressurized oxygen into your nose
to force open collapsed airways.
-
Surgery. Somnoplasty uses radiofrequency ablation to
shrink the tissues of the soft palate.
There is a
variety of other surgeries less commonly performed
to treat sleep apnea as well as other forms of
serious snoring. |
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