What Can Be Done To Treat Snoring?

Snoring is the sound produced when tissues in the nose, mouth, soft palate, or throat vibrate during sleep. When the airway narrows, passing air may cause these tissues to vibrate more strongly. Snoring may occur temporarily or become a problem that returns almost every night.

Snoring treatment is planned according to the underlying cause. Excess weight, sleeping on the back, alcohol consumption, nasal obstruction, enlarged tonsils, jaw structure, and sleep apnea may contribute to snoring. Therefore, there is no single snoring treatment that is suitable for everyone.

Simple snoring may improve with certain lifestyle changes. However, when snoring occurs with pauses in breathing, awakenings with a choking sensation, or excessive daytime sleepiness, an assessment for obstructive sleep apnea is required.

This content is intended for general information. The cause of snoring and the appropriate treatment should be determined through medical assessment.

What Causes Snoring?

The muscles around the throat and tongue relax during sleep. When the upper airway is narrowed, air passes through a smaller space and causes the surrounding tissues to vibrate. This vibration is heard as snoring.

Factors that may increase the risk of snoring include:

• Excess weight and obesity
• Sleeping on the back
• Drinking alcohol before bedtime
• Smoking
• Nasal obstruction
• Allergic rhinitis
• A deviated nasal septum
• Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
• A lower jaw positioned backward
• The tongue base narrowing the airway
• The effects of sleeping pills or sedatives
• Sleep deprivation and severe fatigue
• Relaxation of throat muscles with age
• Obstructive sleep apnea

Snoring caused by a cold or temporary nasal obstruction may improve when the condition resolves. However, the underlying cause should be investigated when snoring occurs every night or becomes increasingly severe.

Regular snoring in children should not be considered normal. A child health and ear, nose, and throat assessment may be required when snoring occurs with open-mouth sleeping, restless sleep, attention difficulties, or developmental concerns.

What Can Be Done At Home To Reduce Snoring?

Certain lifestyle changes may help reduce airway narrowing in simple snoring. However, these measures do not replace sleep apnea treatment, and their effects may differ from person to person.

Measures that may be tried at home include:

• Losing excess weight in a controlled manner
• Trying to sleep on the side instead of the back
• Avoiding alcohol, particularly before bedtime
• Quitting smoking
• Trying to sleep at similar times every day
• Getting sufficient sleep
• Avoiding heavy meals late at night
• Assessing the cause of nasal obstruction
• Keeping the bedroom at an appropriate humidity and temperature
• Not using sleep medication without medical advice

Side sleeping may reduce snoring in some people. However, the person may unconsciously return to sleeping on the back during the night. Positional treatment may be considered when snoring worsens in the supine position.

Nasal sprays should not be used casually or for prolonged periods. Uncontrolled use of certain products may make nasal obstruction worse. Appropriate treatment should be planned by a physician when allergies or structural nasal obstruction are present.

Which Methods May Be Used To Treat Snoring?

Different treatments may be considered according to the cause when lifestyle changes are not sufficient. It is important to determine whether sleep apnea is present before selecting treatment.

Methods that may be considered include:

• Treatment of nasal obstruction: A cause-specific approach may be planned for allergies, enlarged nasal tissues, or structural narrowing.
• Oral appliances: These may slightly move the lower jaw forward and reduce narrowing caused by the tongue.
• Positional treatment: Methods that support side sleeping may be used when snoring worsens on the back.
• CPAP treatment: This may help keep the airway open when snoring is related to sleep apnea.
• Weight management: This may reduce the severity of snoring and sleep apnea in people with excess weight.
• Surgical procedures: These may be considered in selected people with significant anatomical narrowing.

Oral appliances should be prepared specifically for the individual. Inappropriate ready-made products may cause jaw pain, tooth sensitivity, or temporomandibular joint problems. Their use should be assessed by a sleep physician and a dentist experienced in this field.

CPAP is not recommended for every person who snores. The need for the device is determined according to sleep test findings, pauses in breathing, oxygen changes, and general health rather than the sound of snoring.

Can Snoring Be Treated With Surgery?

Surgery may be considered when snoring is caused by significant anatomical narrowing in the upper airway. Enlarged tonsils, severe nasal obstruction, excess soft palate tissue, or problems with jaw structure may require a surgical assessment.

Surgical procedures used for snoring may include:

• Tonsil or adenoid surgery
• Correction of a deviated nasal septum
• Procedures targeting enlarged nasal tissues
• Soft palate and throat surgery
• Tongue-base procedures
• Surgery to correct jaw structure

Surgical treatment does not provide permanent results for everyone. Snoring may improve after surgery but may return over time. Weight changes, ageing, smoking, alcohol use, and narrowing in other parts of the airway may affect the outcome.

Surgery should not be planned based only on the complaint of snoring. The presence of sleep apnea should be investigated before surgery. People diagnosed with sleep apnea may also require a follow-up sleep test after the operation.

When Can Snoring Be A Sign Of Sleep Apnea?

Not every case of snoring means sleep apnea. In simple snoring, breathing generally continues, and significant oxygen drops may not occur. In sleep apnea, the airway may repeatedly close and breathing may temporarily stop.

The following signs may suggest that snoring is related to sleep apnea:

• Long periods of silence during snoring
• Witnessed pauses in breathing during sleep
• A forceful or noisy breath after a period of silence
• Waking up choking or feeling short of breath
• Frequent nighttime awakenings
• Morning headaches
• Waking with a dry mouth
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Attention and memory problems
• Dozing while driving
• High blood pressure that is difficult to control
• Night sweats or frequent nighttime urination

Very loud snoring may increase suspicion of sleep apnea but does not provide a definite diagnosis. The pattern of snoring, accompanying symptoms, and sleep test findings should be assessed together.

People with uncontrollable daytime sleepiness should avoid driving and hazardous tasks that require attention. This condition may increase the risk of accidents for both the person and others.

Plan Your Home Sleep Test With Happ Health

It is not possible to determine whether regular snoring is simple snoring or a sign related to sleep apnea solely from the intensity of the sound. With the Happ Health Home Sleep Test service, offered with the assurance of Medical Park and Liv Hospital, breathing events and oxygen changes during sleep can be assessed.

The results may help a physician plan the next steps, such as lifestyle changes, CPAP, an oral appliance, or an ear, nose, and throat assessment.

With Happ Health’s Health Everywhere, For Everyone, Always. approach, you can conveniently plan your Home Sleep Test to assess the cause of snoring.