Snoring and  Sleep Apnoea.

Snoring

            Sleep Apnoea, or commonly called Snoring is a sleeping disorder that stops a person's breathing up to hundreds of times each night. It occurs when the airway collapses and airflow to the lungs is blocked. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes, depriving various organs like the brain and heart of oxygen supply during sleep.

Symptoms

            Severe snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness are common symptoms that accompany sleep apnoea. Additionally it can cause morning headaches, intellectual decline, sexual impotence, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and even sudden death.

            In children, sleep apnoea can manifest as hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders. 

What is snoring?

           Though snoring is a primary symptom of sleep aphoea, not all snorers suffer from the disorder.  Snoring is a very human characteristic. Perhaps when our ancestors developed the option of sleeping on their backs, they started snoring. 

            Snoring is the noise caused by air passing through a partially obstructed upper airway tract. The obstruction may be any where from the nose down to the voice box.  

          The common causes are deviated nasal septum, growths in the nose, adenoids and large tonsils, large soft palate and elongated uvula, large tongue, tumours and developmental abnormalities of the lower jaw.

           In a 30 to 35 year old population, 20% of men and 5% of women will snore; by the age of 60, 60% of men and 40% of women will snore habitually, snoring is three times more common in obese people. Yet many thin, athletic persons snore.

Snoring Harmful

            Some people may find it amusing. Others may find it annoying. The simple fact is that severe snoring could be a sign of a bigger problem- sleep apnoea.  Left untreated, it can destroy your life. 

           However, there, is a reason to breathe easier. Snoring and sleep apnoea can be effectively treated and lead to excellent results when properly diagnosed.  In addition to the complete history from the patient and bed partner, a thorough ENT examination is carried out. The patient may have to undergo a PSG test where various parameters are checked while the patient is asleep. This is done to evaluate the severity of the disease.

Treatment options

           There are several self help methods like weight reduction, regular exercise, and sleeping on your side instead of your back. These options provide mild results for people with sleep apnoea.  

          Non surgical modalities include the use of CPAP machine. The patient has to sleep with a mask and the machine pumps air to keep the airway open and thereby acts as a pneumatic splint.

          Surgical methods are aimed at relieving obstructions and opening up the upper airway tract, in properly selected cases success rates of 90 to 95% can be obtained.  The most commonly done surgery is Uvulo Palato Pharyngo Plasty, where the tissues around the tonsils and soft palate are tightened, thereby increasing the airway.  Other surgical methods include correction of the nasal septum removal of growths and operations to expand the airway in the lower throat.