Snoring Specialist

What causes snoring?

When you fall asleep, the muscles in your soft palate, tongue, and throat relax and fall toward your throat, where they partially cover the airway. As you breathe, air flowing past these tissues makes them vibrate, which creates the sound of snoring.

What is the connection between snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)?

Everyone who snores does not have OSA. However, snoring — especially loud snoring — is OSA’s top symptom. OSA occurs when the soft tissues completely block the airway and you stop breathing. Low oxygen triggers an alarm in your brain, which in turn, wakes you up just enough to take a breath. This chain of events creates a distinct pattern that’s usually noticed by your housemates: loud snoring, sudden silence when you stop breathing, followed by a gasp or snort when you take a breath.

Patients who stop breathing at least five times every hour are diagnosed with OSA. In severe cases of OSA, you can stop breathing 30 or more times every hour.

What is central sleep apnea?

Central sleep apnea occurs when your brain stops sending signals to the muscles that control your breathing. Your airway stays open, yet you still stop breathing. Central sleep apnea most often affects patients with heart conditions.

What symptoms develop due to sleep apnea?

The symptoms of OSA include:

• Loud snoring
• Daytime fatigue
• Morning headaches
• Problems with memory
• Frequent trips to the bathroom at night
  
  

The symptoms of central sleep apnea include:

• Suddenly waking up with shortness of breath
• Shortness of breath that improves when you sit up
• Chest pain at night
• Sleepiness during the day
• Mood changes
  
  

Patients with central sleep apnea may also snore, but snoring isn’t a primary symptom.

How is sleep apnea treated?

For patients with central sleep apnea, the underlying problem must be identified and treated. Your apnea episodes may be relieved with bilevel airway pressure or auto servo-ventilation devices, which regulate your breathing while you sleep.

Mild cases of OSA may be treated with lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or avoiding alcohol consumption near bedtime. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the preferred treatment for moderate-to-severe OSA. If you have a mild case of OSA, it may also be treated with an oral appliance, which is a mouthguard that prevents your tongue from falling backward.

If conservative treatments don’t help your OSA, Dr. Han may recommend surgery to remove excess tissue and open the airway. Several surgical procedures are effective, including uvulopalatopharyngoplasty to tighten throat tissues and maxillomandibular advancement, which moves the jaw forward to create a larger airway.

To get medical care for sleep apnea, call Florida Ear, Nose, Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery or schedule an appointment online.