Snoring
What is Snoring?
Snoring is a sound caused when the soft tissues at the back of your throat lose their tone, flop back and vibrate when you sleep. Normal breathing involves air passing through your nose, past your soft palate, uvula and tongue. When you are awake, these soft tissues are able to leave the airway open. When you sleep the muscles tend to relax resulting into snoring.
Snoring affects you and those sleeping nearby. In fact, there are many couples who are forced to sleep in separate bedrooms as a result of snoring. It can also cause a problem when you travel.
Snoring Treatment
There are two kinds of treatment for snoring. You should choose a treatment that has been scientifically proven and used by a qualified doctor as an effective and comfortable way of treatment.
1. Scientifically proven treatments
Oral Appliance Therapy
These are worn during sleep to help in preventing the tissues at the back of your throat and the base of your tongue from collapsing and obstructing your airway. The appliances are custom made from using thin and high strength materials. Extensive studies by the Australian Dental Association prove that wearing oral appliances is one of the best available remedy for snoring.
A further study at SleepWise Clinic has proven that 95% uses of oral appliances wake up feeling refreshed. Those who have used customized, adjustable oral appliances reported a remarkable improvement in their snoring.
Surgery
This involves the trimming and tightening of soft tissues in the throat. Studies show that those who undergo surgery have a 30-50% chance of effectively stopping snoring. It can also result in serious side–effects that can alter your tone and cause vomiting when you eat. As a result, surgery is seldom used and is not preferred by Australian sleep physicians as a treatment for snoring.
Weight Loss
Weight gain can reduce the size of your airway as a result of fat deposits concentrating inside your soft palate, tongue and neck structures. If you are overweight, weight reduction may improve your snoring. Although it isn’t a sufficient way of overcoming snoring, it can help reduce fat deposits and enlarge the size of your airway. And thereby help reduce snoring.
Sleep Position
The way you sleep can also help reduce snoring. You can achieve this by elevating the head of your bed and avoiding sleeping on your back. Alcohol and most sleeping pills have been known to relax the throat muscles. Avoid taking alcohol before you go to bed. If you must drink alcohol do so at least three hours before you go to bed. You should also avoid smoking since it can worsen your snoring due to the swelling of the nasal tissues.
2. Unproven and ineffective treatment of snoring
Boil and bite devices
A recent study compared these devices to custom made dentist fitted, adjustable oral appliances. It demonstrated that the boil and bite devices are very difficult to use and are 60% less effective than custom made oral appliances in overcoming snoring.
- nasal strips
- sprays
- pillows
- rings
- buteyko breathing technique
Some of these methods are the subject of ACCC investigations. They are unproven and generally regarded as ineffective by sleep physicians.
At SleepWise Clinic, we will help you find the most effective treatment that will improve your sleeping and relationship with your loved ones. Contact us to find more about our snoring solutions with proven results.