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Snoring and Sleep: For Both You and Your Partner

Snoring is more than just a nighttime disturbance. It can be a symptom of more severe breathing disorders and, if left untreated, can become a severe health issue. It can also contribute to ruining your partner’s sleep as well.

Snoring can keep you up all night and ruin your sleep cycle. This, in turn, can affect your performance at work, as well as everything from your day-to-day temperament to your sex life. It can also affect your partner’s sleep and lead to sleep deprivation, narcolepsy, anxiety, and stress. Few things are more of a bigger turn-off than a partner who snores.

While statistics on snoring vary, as many as 30 to 50% of adults snore, and the percentage increases with age. One survey of over 5,000 Italian adults identified habitual snoring in 24% of men and 13.8% of women. This increased to 60% of men and 40% of women among those aged 60 to 65 years. Snoring can also be a sign of a more serious condition, such as sleep apnea. And although many- if not most- people snore at some point in their life, most people don’t know what causes snoring or how to stop it.

Why do People Snore?

Simply put, snoring is caused by irregular airflow in your respiratory system. This may be caused by a host of factors. Throat weakness can cause your throat to close during sleep. Tension in your jaw muscles can lead to your jaw falling into a distorted position. Finally, fat deposits located in and around your throat can lead to the clogging or obstruction of your nasal passageway. The result is that same sound we all recognize immediately.

Many people believe that snoring is simply something that you just have to put up with, but there are many simple things you can do to prevent it. Lifestyle changes can help: For someone who is significantly overweight, losing weight can make a difference since it reduces your fat deposits everywhere, including in your throat and respiratory organs.

The quality of the mattress you sleep on and the position you sleep in may adversely affect your sleeping and thus lead to snoring. Try sleeping on your side for a few nights and see what happens; this change in position often clears your throat passage and will diminish if not eliminate snoring. In order to avoid rolling back into the wrong position again, try placing a pillow against your back. Raising your head is another option, whether you’re lying on the back or in order to support your head while you’re lying on your side. Nose clips are yet another option- they dilate the nostrils and enhance airflow.

If your snoring problem persists and becomes so severe as to disrupt your day-to-day routine or your relationships, other remedies are available. There are dental appliances that can help correct or get rid of snoring. Called mandibular advancement splints, they push the lower jaw forward slightly, and thereby pull the tongue forward. This clears up your throat and makes breathing at night easier. If you decide to try such a device, it’s recommended that you seek out a dentist specializing in sleep apnea dentistry who can give you a prescription.

Splints have been proven to be effective in reducing snoring and sleep apnea in cases where the apnea is mild to moderate. Possible but rare side effects include gradual movement of the teeth, temperomandibular joint disorder, excess salivation and gum irritation. Over-the-counter mandibular advancement splints provide the same benefits if fitted correctly. A more drastic option to get rid of snoring is surgery. One of the most common procedures goes by the ungainly name of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. During this procedure, the surgeon removes tissue at the back of the throat (including the uvula and pharynx) in an attempt to widen the airway. This is an invasive surgery, and there are risks of adverse side effects, so it’s only recommended in extreme cases. Finally, the Buteyko Method is a holistic breathing method similar to certain forms of yoga invented by a Russian doctor, Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko, and has been shown to significantly reduce the volume of air automatically breathed by within three months of starting a course. However, snorers are best advised to seek medical advice to assess their treatment options and possible underlying factors.

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