Snoring is one of the most common health problems in daily life. Continuous snoring is observed in 45% of adults and 25% from time to time. Snoring, which should be considered as a harbinger of serious health problems, is a condition that increases in frequency with age. Snoring may not be just a sound. In other words, snoring can affect the health of one's own and other people sleeping in the same environment. It can bring along many problems from insomnia to fatigue, from dizziness to inability to focus.
What is snoring?
Snoring is the sound created by air passing through the respiratory tract due to narrowing in the throat. It can also be defined as the sound made by vibrations caused by the friction of the tissues when the airway is partially blocked. Snoring and the sound of snoring have become a part of daily life for many people. Snoring is more common in men than women. The incidence of snoring may increase due to some reasons such as age and weight. This muffled sound, which draws attention while sleeping, can seriously reduce sleep efficiency. The most common causes of snoring are pathologies that narrow the airway, such as adenoid enlargement in children, long palate in adults, nasal concha enlargement, and nasal curvature (deviation). Weakness in the muscles due to reasons such as excess weight and alcohol consumption aggravates the situation.
Individuals may not even be aware that there is snoring in their lives. For this reason, snoring can be disturbing for the individuals around you, even if you are not aware of it. If the snoring problem is not accompanied by problems such as sleep interruption at night and/or temporary cessation of breathing, that is, sleep apnea, this situation is called simple snoring. The severity of simple snoring may vary depending on sleeping position and weight. Simple snoring may not be noticed by the individual. However, it can cause individuals who live in the same house with the snoring person to wake up from their sleep and not provide sleep hygiene. Although the severity of snoring changes with the lying position, the use of cigarettes, alcohol and some drugs can also affect the severity of snoring. Individuals who cannot get enough and necessary oxygen as a result of snoring, such as weakness, fatigue, headache and distraction. may encounter problems that negatively affect daily life.
How do we know when we snore?
If you live alone, it may be more difficult to understand whether you snore or not. Today, various phone applications have been developed to understand whether there is snoring. Snoring is often characterized by symptoms such as chest pain, restlessness, drowsiness, weakness, fatigue, high blood pressure, headache and sore throat, inability to focus on daily activities, and waking up exhausted. Apart from this, if the person has symptoms such as short-term respiratory arrest, difficulty in breathing at night and a feeling of suffocation, this may not be simple snoring, but sleep apnea. All of the above reasons can also be given as examples of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome symptoms that cause serious health problems. Since these problems can cause serious health problems in daily life and negatively affect the life of the individual, it is important to treat them.
Is it Possible to Prevent Snoring?
There are some preventive methods to prevent snoring. . By applying them in your daily life, the severity of snoring can be reduced or completely eliminated. To prevent snoring, first of all, smoking and alcohol consumption should be limited or stopped. You can calculate your ideal weight by measuring your body mass index. Since excess weight can cause more lubrication, the severity of snoring will increase. You can prevent snoring by making sports a part of your life and maintaining your ideal weight. You can stop eating a few hours before going to sleep. In this way, both the severity of snoring and the interruptions in your sleep are reduced. If you know the positions that are not good for you while sleeping, you can try to sleep in different positions. In addition, you can be more comfortable if you use a pillow that is slightly higher than your head while sleeping.
Do Pillows, Apparatus or Alternative Solutions Prevent Snoring?
Individuals who do not experience respiratory apnea during sleep, that is, simple The severity of snoring may decrease when those with snoring complaints take precautions such as providing a suitable sleeping position and/or choosing a higher pillow. Some plants such as thyme, mint, cedar tree that you can find in many places oils can also help to relax airflow in the respiratory tract by preventing excess mucus layer and phlegm. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with snoring can create serious problems. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome may not be seen in every snoring individual. Operations to relax the airway are performed in simple snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. These methods can be listed as uvuloplasty, nasal concha reduction, septum deviation, tonsil and adenoid surgery. An alternative method of preventing sleep apnea is the use of the "CPAP" device. You should use this device at intervals determined by your doctor. This device, which is also easy to carry, consists of three apparatus in the form of a compressor, a hose and a mask attached to the nose. This tool prevents the airway from narrowing by loosening the tissues. In this way, individuals can breathe comfortably.
Can Snoring Be Prevented After Adenoid Surgery?
Adenoid, medically called adenoid, is the tissue behind the nasal cavity. This tissue protects the person against infections by cleaning the breath taken. If the adenoid grows larger than it should be, nasal congestion occurs and breathing may be adversely affected. As a result of nasal congestion, many health problems such as snoring and sleep apnea can occur. Drug treatment can be applied in cases that prevent your daily life, interrupt your sleep, make it difficult to breathe and cause speech disorders. In cases where drug treatment does not respond, the adenoid can be removed with the help of surgery. Adenoid surgery is performed under general anesthesia and the operation takes about 20 minutes. Since the main source of the problem is eliminated with the adenoid operation, the problem of snoring also disappears.
Which branch should be applied for snoring?
The branch information to go for snoring varies. First of all, if your snoring level is mild, you can apply to an ENT, that is, an ear, nose and throat specialist. If the cause of snoring is sleep apnea syndrome or if you experience symptoms such as high blood pressure, heart ache, and fatigue in addition to snoring, you can apply to neurology and chest diseases departments. After your doctor performs the necessary tests for diagnosis, he or she can direct you to the departments he deems necessary. The examinations made As a result, the diagnosis of the focal disease causing snoring is made.
How to Treat Snoring?
Simple snoring can reduce your weight by paying attention to sleep patterns, limiting smoking and alcohol use, using a high pillow, and using a high pillow. It can also be treated by keeping it at an ideal level and lying in the correct position. With the diagnostic tests to be done when you go to the doctor, it will be understood whether the source of your complaints is simple snoring or is related to more serious causes such as sleep apnea. Polysomnography, a multi-parametric test, is used in the diagnosis of sleep apnea and in the evaluation of sleep disorders. Based on the results of this test, your doctor will confirm the cause of your complaint. Snoring treatment is planned in different ways according to the diagnosis and the general health condition of the person. If you or a relative has a snoring problem, you can have your checkups done by applying to the nearest health institution. We wish you a healthy day.
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