One of the most common sleep problems is snoring. Even though it is neither painful nor life-threatening, it still causes some serious problems that may or may not be directly caused by it.
Most of the people who get it are middle-aged men, and obese people are at a high risk. This is true because people with thick necks tend to have more muscles that would relax when they breathe.
Snoring happens when the space between the throat and nose gets too small. Because the tissues relax when we sleep, this passage gets smaller. This is why we only snore when we are in the position that gives us the most rest.
When the passage gets smaller, the pressure of the air from the mouth and back goes up a lot. So, this will make the flapping muscles vibrate more, which makes the sounds of snoring.
Most likely, the vibrations will be set off by anything that helps narrow the airway or relax the muscles. Say, substances that relax muscles will cause the tongue to fall back or the muscles in the throat to stop being so tight.
A stuffy nose could also be to blame, since it makes it harder for air to get through. So, there are some kinds of snoring that only happen when you have a cold or your sinuses are inflamed.
Snoring can also be caused by the way a person sleeps. If you sleep on your back, gravity will pull your tongue and throat muscles back. So, people with this condition are told to get used to sleeping on their side.
Since the only problem is that the muscles and tissues that line the respiratory tract, especially the throat and nasal passages, are relaxing too much, the best way to fix this is to fix the muscles that are too loose.
An otolaryngologist can help you figure out what is really causing your snoring. He is an expert in conditions that have to do with the ears, nose, and throat. He is the only one who has the power to do a thorough checkup on your condition.
The uvulopalatoharyngoplasty, or UPPP, is the most common surgery for snoring. Its goal is to widen the airways. During this process, the uvula, adenoids, tonsils, and parts of the tonsils that are covered by the pharynx are usually removed. This is done to make the throat wider.
Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty, or LAUP, is a more intensive version of this method that uses a laser to cut away the muscles that block normal air flow.
Both of these methods usually work best for mild snorers. They might not work for people with sleep apnea or loud snoring, though.
Nasal surgery, on the other hand, is often suggested for people who snore because their nasal septum is too narrow.
The goal of the Tongue Suspension Procedure is to keep the tongue from falling back. To do this, a small screw is put into the lower jaw and the tongue is stitched below it.
A common way to make a solution is for throat tissue to shrink. Somnoplasty is a procedure that uses an electrode needle to shrink the extra tissue by releasing energy. The body will then re-take this in.
Surgery might not be a simple way to fix your throat muscles that don't work right. But this method leads to the best solutions. But keep in mind that there are different ways to help different causes. Make sure you talk to your doctor about all of your worries first so that you can get the right treatment.
