Snoring

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[edit] Snoring

Snoring is the annoying sound that a person makes when they have various degrees of soft tissue airway obstruction during sleep. It can be a mild rattling, which only occurs in some nights with a certain position of the neck or there can be a full blown sleep apnea with daytime drowsiness from a lack of restful sleep.The snoring sound can come from any structure in the nose that can vibrate in the air stream such as polyps, the uvula in the soft palate, overly relaxed muscles of the pharyngeal wall or in the voice box.

Diagnostic tests:

It takes a referral to an ENT specialist to find out by nasopharyngeal endoscopy what the airways are like. In order to complete the study, the specialist likely will want to order a sleep laboratory investigation where the blood gases are measured along with brain waves and sleep observations with slowly recording video cameras.

Treatment:

This way the physician can rule out whether sleep apnea is present and whether or not CPAP, a positive pressure assisted breathing apparatus, is required. Tonsils, polyps, adenoids or large uvulas may have to be removed surgically. Much can be achieved these days to control snoring, but the patient or the spouse or family have to get the cooperation of the patient to seek medical advice. Often people downplay that there is a problem. When all is done the patient wishes that he had taken action earlier. Here is some more info regarding treatment of snoring and sleep apnea.

Home page

ENT overview

Nose problems

References:

1. James Chin et al., Editors: Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, 17th edition, 2000, American Public Health Association.

2. Behrman: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 16th ed., 2000, W. B. Saunders Company

3. J M Hickner et al. Ann Emerg Med 37(6): 703-710. June 2001.

4. Noble: Textbook of Primary Care Medicine, 3rd ed.,2001 Mosby, Inc.

5. Abeloff: Clinical Oncology, 2nd ed.,2000,Churchill Livingstone, Inc.

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