Is Your Snoring an Issue?

Everyone needs to sleep, but millions struggle to get the quality and quantity of sleep they need. Adults need at least seven hours of rest nightly, but over a third don’t get it, and over 80% nap during the day. Even when people are sleeping, several factors affect how well they rest, including snoring, which affects 57% of men, 40% of women, and 27% of children.

The effects of snoring vary from person to person; in many cases, it’s considered a minor annoyance, but in others, it can be a sign of underlying problems that need to be addressed. To find out whether or not your snoring problems are something you should be worried about, let’s explore more about why it happens and what conditions it can indicate.

Drs. Wade Han, Elvira Livigni De Armas, and the medical staff at Florida Ear, Nose, Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Center help residents of Kissimmee and Orlando, Florida, improve their sleep by reducing snoring and other sleep problems.

What is snoring?

Snoring refers to the various noises people make while sleeping, such as snorting, grumbling, whistling, and rattling, as well as other loud, discordant sounds. Snoring can also be accompanied by waking up with a sore throat, daytime fatigue, headaches, an irritable mood, difficulty focusing, and tossing and turning during sleep.

At some point, everyone snores, including infants and toddlers, and occasional bouts are generally not a cause for concern.

What causes it?

This sleeping disorder occurs due to airway obstruction when resting, and the sounds heard result from air flowing past the relaxed nasal tissues, creating vibrations as you breathe. Louder snoring can happen due to several factors, such as nasal congestion, sleep medications, smoking, your sleeping position, and consuming alcohol before going to bed.

Obstructive sleep apnea, another sleep disorder, also causes snoring and results from airway obstruction. However, the blockage in this condition also restricts breathing during your sleeping cycle. The risk of snoring is also higher in pregnant women, postmenopausal women, and overweight or obese people. 

When is snoring a cause for concern?

Chronic loud snoring is often a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, which, left untreated, can be very serious. In addition to causing many symptoms similar to snoring, it also increases the risk of hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), nocturia (having to wake up multiple times to urinate), metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular disease.

Getting a sleep lab can help confirm a sleep apnea diagnosis, and if it turns out to be this disorder, multiple treatment options can help. A continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, device can help reduce obstruction when sleeping.

Lifestyle changes can also help, such as altering sleeping positions, losing weight, and changing eating and drinking habits before bed. Additionally, using oral devices and taking tirzepatide (also known as Zepbound) can reduce snoring and other symptoms.

Snoring can be a cause for concern, but problems like sleep apnea can be managed, and we’re here to help. Make an appointment with Drs. Han, Livigni De Armas, and the Florida Ear, Nose, Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Center team are here today to help control your snoring.