What Factors Contribute to Sleep Apnea?
There are a number of health or physical factors that can contribute to chronic snoring, or developing obstructive sleep apnea.
Snoring Treatments
If chronic snoring is keeping you from getting a good night's sleep, you have options.
Snoring Solutions
If you snore, you’re not alone. It is estimated that as many as 90 million Americans cope with it. But your snoring doesn’t just impact you: it can also seriously interfere with your partner’s ability to get a good night’s sleep. What’s more, it can be a symptom of a serious sleep disorder, which studies have shown can result in a range of side effects, up to and including premature death.
If snoring is keeping you or your partner from getting a good night’s sleep, we have great news: you don’t have to suffer anymore! There are a range of different options to treat the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, and even permanently cure your chronic snoring.
Fixing your snoring problem can do more than just ensure you sleep well at night: it could help prolong your life. Let’s go through some of the common causes of snoring, and some health tips to fix the problem.
At-Home Sleep Study
To get to the bottom of your snoring problem, it’s critical to understand how your breathing patterns change while asleep. But the standard approach of a clinic-based sleep study tends to be inconvenient, not to mention expensive.
There’s an alternative. An at-home sleep study using the latest in mobile diagnostic technology offers a range of advantages over traditional in-lab sleep studies.
- Greater convenience and comfort. Unlike in-lab sleep studies, which require you to spend a night in a strange and unfamiliar environment, an at-home sleep study allows you to sleep in your own bed, which is both more convenient and can lead to more accurate results.
- Reduced expense. While any procedure involving an overnight stay in a clinic inherently involves a pretty big hospital bill, an at-home sleep study is vastly cheaper: just bring home a small device and wear it overnight for a few days.
- Reduced disruption to your daily activities. An in-lab sleep study usually requires you to take time off work or other activities to accommodate an overnight stay. But an at-home sleep study can be done on your schedule, allowing you to continue with your normal daily routine.
- At-home sleep studies can be just as effective as in-lab studies in diagnosing sleep disorders. Thanks to advances in technology, many at-home sleep study devices are now capable of measuring a wide range of physiological and behavioral parameters, including oxygen saturation, heart rate, and snoring. This means that you can receive a comprehensive evaluation of your sleep health in the comfort of your own home.
An at-home sleep study can be an attractive option for giving you a more convenient, comfortable, and cost-effective way to determine if you have a sleep disorder.
Snoring Treatments
Laser Treatment
One of the biggest culprits of sleep apnea is tissue from the soft palate obstructing the airway. In response, Dr. Krish uses the NightLase, a laser therapy that tightens the tissues of the soft palate to open up the airway. Painless, non-invasive, zero anesthetic required, and works fast so you can get back to a good night’s sleep quickly.
Learn More About NightLase
Custom Oral Appliance
Frequently, your oral cavity can be a major obstacle to getting proper airflow overnight. But what if you could reshape it? Dr. Krish can provide you with a range of customized oral orthotics to address the root cause of your chronic snoring. This can let you get back to a good night’s sleep now and give you a complete cure from your sleep apnea.
Learn More About Oral Appliances for Snoring
Myofunctional Therapy
Myofunctional therapy – which helps strengthen and reshape the muscles used for chewing, swallowing and breathing – can be used to treat a range of conditions, including sleep apnea. Used in conjunction with other treatments, myofunctional therapy can make a real difference in reducing, or even curing, your chronic snoring.
Learn About Myofunctional Therapy for Sleep Apnea
Why Dr. Krish Doesn't Prescribe CPAP Machines for Snoring
The continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP) is the most popular treatment for those experiencing chronic snoring. But there are several reasons why Dr. Krish deliberately avoids prescribing CPAP use for her patients.
- CPAPs are uncomfortable. Some people find CPAP masks and machines to be uncomfortable or claustrophobic; as a result, they have a hard time falling asleep or sleeping through the night.
- CPAPs have side effects. Yes, believe it or not, CPAPs can backfire. Due to wearing the mask and headgear for seven or eight hours overnight, many users end up with skin irritation, such as pressure sores, rashes, or acne. Other users experience dryness in the mouth, nose, and throat, which can lead to discomfort, soreness, and even infections.
- CPAPs are noisy. The sound of the CPAP machine can be disruptive to both you and your spouse or significant other, making it difficult to sleep.
- CPAPs are expensive. The machines can be pricey. And did you know that many CPAPs require a second machine to clean them? Some insurance plans may not cover the cost of all this.
- CPAPs are restrictive. CPAP machines can be bulky and difficult to travel with, which can make it challenging to maintain treatment when away from home. Moreover, you’re required to have access to electricity to use them, which means that camping trips may no longer be an option.
- CPAPs aren’t a cure. The CPAP machine can and does provide immediate relief so that you can sleep through the night. But remember that snoring is a symptom of a deeper problem. And the CPAP only addresses the symptom – it doesn’t fix the underlying problem.
Because of these and similar reasons, Dr. Krish has found that a lot of CPAP users end up not using the machine. Even if they can afford it, the side effects become too annoying or even painful, or the machine just becomes too much of a hassle. It seems pointless to prescribe something that a number of people end up rejecting.
Weight Gain
There are all kinds of benefits to making some lifestyle changes to lose a few pounds. You can add quitting snoring to the list.
When you gain weight, you can accumulate excess fat around your neck, which can compress and narrow your airway during sleep. This can cause the tissues in the throat to vibrate, resulting in the sound of snoring. If the weight gain is high enough, it can cause the airway to become partially or completely blocked during sleep, causing brief interruptions in your breathing. These interruptions can trigger loud snoring, as well as other symptoms such as gasping or choking during sleep.
Moreover, weight gain can also lead to changes in the hormonal balance of the body, particularly an increase in insulin resistance and inflammation, which can contribute to the development of OSA. Additionally, weight gain may also result in a reduction in lung volume, leading to increased resistance to airflow, making it more challenging to breathe properly.
Neck Circumference and Poor Muscle Tone
Some folks find this one surprising, but yes, a thicker neck can be problematic for sleeping.
Neck circumference can contribute to snoring because a thicker neck often means a narrower airway. And if you already naturally have a thicker neck, you don’t have as much space to work with when it comes to excess muscle or fat, meaning even slight weight gain can restrict the amount of space available for the airway.
In general, men are more likely to have thicker necks than women, and individuals with a neck circumference of 17 inches or more for men or 16 inches or more for women may be at an increased risk for snoring and sleep apnea.
In addition, poor muscle tone in the throat and tongue can be problematic. It’s one thing if tissue in the palate becomes loose. But what if tissue in your mouth becomes loose because your throat is out of shape? Believe it or not, lack of muscle tone in your throat and tongue can result in the tissue in those areas becoming loose enough to result in airway blockage and snoring.
Treatment for poor muscle tone is the same as with other parts of the body: exercise. There are specific daily exercises that can be done for the tongue and throat to improve muscle tone and reduce snoring. One particular exercise: regular focused singing of diverse sounds, including vowels, may improve overall muscle tone and cut down on snoring.
Alcohol or Sedative Use
Many folks have a drink before going to bed to help them relax, or take a sedative to help them sleep through the night. But both of these can backfire badly if you’re prone to snoring.
Alcohol causes the mouth and throat muscles to really relax – in effect, reducing the muscle tone in those areas, and causing the same kind of airway obstruction that manifests as snoring.
While it may be tempting to have a drink before going to bed, the cons vastly outweigh the pros if it’s causing you to snore. And even if it’s not causing some form of sleep apnea, drinking before turning in for the night reduces REM sleep, which can ironically cause daytime fatigue. There are other things you can consume before going to bed besides alcohol that will actually contribute to getting a good night’s sleep.
Smoking
Smoking is one of the risk factors that can contribute to chronic snoring. Smoking irritates the lining of the throat and causes inflammation, which can narrow the air passages and make it harder for air to flow through. This narrowing of the air passages can lead to vibration of the tissues in the throat, which causes the sound of snoring.
Additionally, smoking can cause damage to the cilia in the airways, which are small hair-like structures that help to keep the airways clear. When the cilia are damaged, mucus and other debris can build up in the airways, leading to congestion and further narrowing of the air passages. This can worsen snoring symptoms.
Smoking can also contribute to the development of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition where the airway becomes completely blocked during sleep, leading to episodes of interrupted breathing. OSA is often associated with chronic snoring, and smoking can increase the risk of developing OSA by causing inflammation and narrowing of the air passages.
Overall, smoking can contribute to chronic snoring by causing inflammation and narrowing of the air passages, damaging the cilia in the airways, and increasing the risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. Quitting smoking can help to reduce the severity of snoring and improve overall respiratory health.
Get Help for Your Snoring Today
If you or a loved one can’t get a good night’s sleep due to snoring, it’s time to stop suffering! Call us and set an appointment today.
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