Everything you Wanted to Know About Snoring

We are in a temporarily unconscious state during sleeping. Snoring during sleep often affects our partners more than ourselves and consequently creates bitter relations even among family members. Identifying the reason and treating it effectively will help in improving your health as well as your relationship.

Reasons- Snoring is caused by obstruction to normal breathing during sleep. This could be due to health problems or just poor posture during sleep.

Snoring has been found to be a hereditary trait. It becomes more obvious in middle aged, overweight males who have a family history of snoring. Consumption of alcohol or medications which tend to relax the throat muscles increases snoring. Smoking also aggravates snoring.
Infections which tend to block the air passage may also cause the patient to snore. Allergies, Common cold, asthma and bronchial infections lead to this condition.

Levels of Snoring- Slight resistance to the air flow within the air passage results in mild snoring and do not cause any disturbance during sleep.

Increase in resistance may  arouse the patient at times. This condition is known as the upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS).

With severe resistance to airflow, the patient cannot sleep properly and wakes up frequently. This is called the obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

Effects on health- The commonest effect of snoring may be disturbed sleep or sleeplessness. This leaves the person listless and drowsy. Consequently the person becomes irritable and his work suffers.

If snoring persists in spite of taking all normal precautions, it may indicate a serious medical problem. If the partner of the snorer notices gasping or jerky movements of the limb during sleep then it is time to consult a physician. Surgery of the nasal passage, removal of nasal polyps or palette implants may help the person to stop snoring. It is however, very important to ascertain whether the snoring is due to clinical in nature.