After a long day, we look forward to a restful sleep to allow our bodies to recharge. We plunk into a comfortable bed that smells of our favorite sleeptime scent. Slowly, slowly, slowly, we fall deeper and deeper into sleep. Snort! We are violently pulled out of our slumber gasping for breath. Chances are, it was snoring and not some unpleasant dream that has awaken us from our much needed rest in more nights than one.



Snoring is not confined to any particular gender or age group. Although there are certain types of people who are found to be more prone to it. Snoring, that insistent snorting sound made while sleeping, is actually the sound made by relaxed throat tissues vibrating in the airway. This happens when the muscles in the mouth, tongue and throat relax and fall against the throat narrowing the airway. The narrower the air passage becomes, the more the tissue vibrates, and the louder it gets. While snoring in itself is not a medical concern, it may indicate the existence of certain health problems that might require medical care. The treatments are available in most medical facilities to address existing as well as developing illnesses as a result of snoring.

To determine what treatment is needed, it is worthy to note the factors that cause snoring. First is the mouth anatomy. Throat conditions such as low, thick soft palate, enlarged tonsils or enlarged adenoids can narrow the air passage and make tissue vibrations louder. Airflow can also be obstructed by a hanging piece of tissue from the soft palate. Through a physical inspection of the back of the throat, a physician can tell if this is the cause. Chronic nasal congestion or a deformity in the partition between the nostrils can also cause snoring. Alcohol consumption at or near bedtime can also bring about the symptom as it relaxes throat muscles and impairs your reflexes in responding to air passage obstructions. This can be potentially harmful as it can cause gagging or loss of oxygen.

A person with this disease would let out a series of loud snores and then have 10-second periods of silence in a repeating cycle. This poses a potentially dangerous situation for a snorer since all the muscles could completely block the air passage and cut off his air supply. There are treatment procedures that you can turn to to save yourself from sleepless nights and interrupted sleep.

A thorough physical examination and medical history taking can help your doctor find out why, when and how you snore to determine what kind of treatment you need. After giving you the basic advise of losing weight, avoiding alcohol, changing sleeping positions, your doctor will most likely prescribe any one of these proven methodologies: oral appliances or dental mouthpieces that keep your throat muscles and tongue from recessing into the air passage; surgery to tighten or trim excess tissue, radiofrequency tissue ablation to remove part of the palate; and continuous politive airway pressure (CPAP) mask to keep your airway open by forcing air through it.