Snoring

SNORING AND ITS CAUSES

If you have been told that you snore, then it's likely that you already knew that you were not sleeping as well as you should be.

When we sleep, the muscles of the upper airways relax and close partially, so that sufficient air does not reach the lungs due to the narrowing of the upper airway. This can happen due to reversible reasons, such as for example, enlarged tonsils or excess fat around the neck or structural causes, such as for example, the shape of the nose or palate.

This narrowing of the airway causes a vibration in the throat with the passage of air with every breath taken, which creates the typical snoring sound.

HOW CAN SNORING AFFECT YOUR SLEEP?

Snoring not only affects your rest, something that you may not always be aware of, but it also disturbs the sleep of your family or partner.

Snoring means that you are restricting the entrance of oxygen into your body, it also means that very probably you are experiencing micro awakenings throughout the night without being aware of this. This situation could be preventing you from having a repairing and healthy sleep, and in addition to the cause which is causing your snoring, if you snore, or suspect that you snore, consider it as a form of alarm and talk to your doctor about conducting a sleep study. Snoring is associated with other conditions in the medium and long term, such as high blood pressure.

People who snore are 1.6 times more likely to develop high blood pressure in the 4¹ years since they start snoring. They also present risks of developing other cardiovascular diseases².

Not all snorers have obstructive sleep apnoea, however, almost all those who suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea snore.

Snoring is also the main indicator of the existence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)³. These two conditions are closely related and have a worrying rate: 3 out of 10 men and almost 2 out of 10 women who usually snore also suffer from some form of obstructive sleep apnoea⁴.

References:

1. Peepard T. Prospective study of the association between sleep-disordered breathing and hypertension. N Engl J Med, 342 (2000), pp. 1378-1384.
2. Marin JM. Long-term cardiovascular outcomes in men with obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea with or without treatment with continuous positive airway ... Read more

TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR SNORING

The treatment options for snoring depend on various factors, but the main ones are the following:

Do you snore through your nose or throat?
Do you snore and have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)?

Snores through throat and does not have sleep apnoea:

This case includes patients who have already carried out a sleep study and obtained an apnoea-hypoapnoea index (AHI) below 5. The most effective solutions for the treatment of this type of snoring through the throat are devices made-to-measure1,2. The Narval CC device adapts to the size ... Read more

Snores through throat and has obstructive sleep apnoea:

If your apnoea-hypoapnoea index (AHI) is between 5 and 30, we will offer you the entire range of possible treatment, from the Narval CC mandibular advancement device to treatment by positive airway pressure (PAP). The mandibular advancement device is a clinically proven treatment ... Read more

Why do we snore?

References

1. Vecchierini MF & al. A custom-made mandibular repositioning device for obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome: the ORCADES study. Sleep Med. Marzo de 2016; 19:131-40. DOI: 10,1016.
2. Lim et al. Oral appliances for OSA. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, número 3.
3. Practice Parameters for the Treatment of Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Oral Appliances: An Update for 2005, AASM report, Sleep 2006. 29(2): 240-243, US Guidelines.
4. Non-CPAP therapies in obstructive sleep apnoea, ERS task force. Eur Respir J. Mayo de 2011. 37 (5): 1000-28, Systematic Review. Recomendaciones (europeas).
5. B. Fleury et al. Tratamiento con OSAHS con dispositivo oral de adelanto mandibular. Rev Mal Respir. Octubre de 2010. 27 Suplemento 3: S146-56. Systematic Review.
6. Sutherland K. Oral appliance treatment for obstructive sleep apnea: an update. J Clin Sleep Med. 15 de febrero de 2014. 10 (2): 215-27.