Snoring
Treat snoring.
Seriously!
Sleep Well Clinic aproach
The Sleep Well Clinic approach is to find out more about your snoring to help know if there is anything else happening, like obstructive sleep apnoea, and what treatments are likely to work for you. First we perform a home sleep test to look for common health problems associated with snoring, and then we pull everything together with a clinical consultation with you to discuss what the sleep test has shown, and to also discuss which therapies are most likely to work for you based on your history and the sleep test results.
What happens when I snore?
When a person goes to sleep, the muscles in the body relax, including the muscles that hold the airway open when awake. In some people, the airway is narrow enough that the normal suction of breathing in causes the airway to vibrate.
It is the vibrating airway that causes the noise of snoring. With some people, the noise can be loud enough to be heard throughout the entire house. For others it is more subtle. But in all cases, the noise-generating vibration can also send an alert to your sleeping brain, causing a physiological stress response at the very time you are supposed to be relaxing and recovering ready for the next day.
Why should I care if I snore?
Snoring can have a significant impact on relationships. Tired people tend to be more irritable and short-tempered than people who have regular healthy sleep.
People who share a bed with a snorer can become frustrated with having their own sleep disturbed. A medical study in Sweden investigating wives of snoring men found the wives suffered symptoms of sleep disturbance such as poor short term memory and difficulty concentrating on tasks.
Other complications arising from snoring include:
Morning headaches.
Recent weight gain.
Awakening in the morning not feeling rested.
Awaking at night feeling confused.
Change in your level of attention, concentration, or memory.
Observed pauses in breathing during sleep.
Snoring is the single most common symptom of obstructive sleep apnoea a condition in which snoring has progressed beyond just vibration and noise, to actually choking throughout your sleep.
It's not just the noise...
Sleep quality
Airway nerves responding to the vibration of the muscles during snoring can send a signal to the brain that the snoring is actually the beginning of choking. The brain goes on alert, which results in poorer quality sleep and daytime tiredness.
The same process that causes sleep disturbance can have other related health problems (see below)
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Some people snore so badly the airway is sucked shut over and over throughout the night. This can happen hundreds of times a night, and is known as Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. Because sleep apnoea is so common and you can't tell easily if someone is just snoring or if they have sleep apnoea, the Sleep Well Clinic approach is to always perform a sleep test to check for apnoea before beginning any treatment for snoring.
Weight gain
Chronic fatigue arising from the disturbed sleep associated with snoring can stimulate appetite which leads to weight gain which in turn can make the snoring more problematic. Treatment of the snoring can break the cycle and assist sustainable weight loss through reduced appetite and increased energy for exercise.
Full bladder
Sleep disturbance throughout the night can prevent a person from producing the hormone that normally slows down urine production. People with problematic snoring are therefore more likely to need to go to the toilet during the night. Treatment of problematic snoring allows the hormone to be produced normally during uninterrupted deep sleep, so the bladder slows down for the night as it should.
Lower libido
Chronic fatigue arising from problematic snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea can cause loss of libido, which in some cases can develop into impotence. Treatment of the snoring will often restore both desire and function straight away.
… it affects the rest of your life
How can you help me?
The doctors and health professionals at the SLEEP WELL CLINIC provide comprehensive home sleep testing and treatment services for anyone suffering problematic snoring, or possible sleep apnoea. Consulting doctors are available by appointment throughout New Zealand for face-to-face or telemedicine consultations to put all the information together with you to work out the best and most likely treatment specific to you.
Our testing and treatment services use portable sleep monitors and extensive support for the entire process from diagnosis and assessment, through to long-term treatment. Wherever you are, our Clinical Support team are always available throughout the week by telephone to help you with your treatment once you get started.
Surgery
Surgery can be considered for some very mild types of snoring. If there are anatomical features such as large tonsils crowding the airway, and no evidence of apnoea from a sleep test, a variety of surgical techniques such as nasal surgery might help reduce the noise of snoring for a time.
Pros: No need for on-going management.
Cons: Lower success than MAS or CPAP - sometimes no benefit at all. Doesn’t usually help sleep apnoea, only snoring.
Mandibular Splint
Mandibular Advancement Splints (MAS) are mouthguard-like devices that are adjusted to pull the bottom jaw forward during sleep so that the airway becomes more open. There are several designs available, but not all are the same.
Pros: Small and portable and can help with snoring and some cases of mild sleep apnoea.
Cons: Not suitable for everyone. Because of this, we suggest a trial splint that can be used to work out the correct settings and ensure the MAS is right for you before committing to a specialist model.
CPAP Therapy
CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Modern CPAP therapy has increasingly been used to manage any severity of OSA and more recently, even social snoring. CPAP uses a small increase in airway pressure through a mask to stop snoring and sleep apnoea. The Sleep Well Clinic has a clinical support team who help people try CPAP for a few weeks before making a long-term decision.
Pros: Most likely treatment to eliminate snoring and sleep apnoea.
Cons: Less portable than MAS or surgery.