Snoring

You may laugh along with your partner, family, and friends when they joke about your loud snoring, but you should also consider their jokes a warning. Loud snoring deserves the attention of the skilled physicians at Midwest Respiratory, Ltd. because snoring can affect your sleep and is the top sign of sleep apnea, a dangerous condition that puts you at risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. Call the office in Joliet or New Lenox, Illinois, or use online booking to request an appointment today and learn if you need treatment to stop snoring.

What causes snoring?

Snoring occurs when the air you inhale can’t flow smoothly through your airways. When you force air past a blockage in your nose or throat, the tissues causing the blockage vibrate. The vibrations cause the sounds known as snoring.

Most people snore when they sleep because their tongue and the tissues surrounding their throat relax and move toward the airway opening. Snoring occurs as the tissues partially cover the airway. The more they block the airway, the louder you snore.

If your snoring comes from your nose, the blockage may be caused by:

• Colds
• Allergies
• Chronic sinusitis
• Nasal polyps
• Enlarged tonsils
• Enlarged turbinates
• Deviated septum

Being overweight or obese causes excess fat in the walls of your throat, which narrows the airway and leads to snoring.

Does snoring cause other symptoms?

Mild, occasional snoring doesn’t cause problems or symptoms. Frequent snoring may affect the quality of your sleep, as disrupted breathing makes you toss and turn.

Loud snoring is a red flag that you could have sleep apnea. Untreated sleep apnea causes cardiovascular distress, resulting in high blood pressure and heart problems.

Snoring that wakes you up or disrupts your sleep (even if you don’t wake) causes symptoms such as

• Restless sleep
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Morning headache or sore throat
• Gasping or choking during the night
• Difficulty concentrating during the day
• Memory problems
• Irritability during the day

If you have any of these symptoms, you should schedule a snoring evaluation at Midwest Respiratory, Ltd.

How is snoring treated?

The challenge of diagnosing snoring is that most people aren’t aware they snore. It helps if you have a partner or housemate who has noticed your snoring or restless sleep.

If your symptoms or physical exam suggest sleep apnea or another sleep disorder, your Midwest Respiratory, Ltd. provider recommends a home-based or in-lab sleep study. The information obtained during a sleep study helps them diagnose snoring and other conditions.

Your treatment may include any of the following:

• Sleep apnea or sleep disorder treatment
• Treatment for other underlying medical conditions
• Lifestyle changes (changing your sleep position, losing weight, or avoiding alcohol or caffeine)
• Medications to relieve nasal congestion
• Smoking cessation
• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
• Nasal strips
• Oral appliances
• Upper airway surgery

Call Midwest Respiratory, Ltd. today or connect online to request an appointment and get treatment that stops snoring and improves your sleep quality.