Snoring Out an SOS!

“Snoring is not just noise!” says ENT specialist DR LYNNE LIM. Up to 40 percent of snorers have oxygen desaturation caused by obstruction of the airways, termed Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA).

It’s linked to five times the normal risk of having a car crash, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack and stroke. What’s more, a snorer’s bed partner can lose an average of an hour of sleep each night from what’s called Spousal Arousal Syndrome. (No, sadly, not that sort of arousal.)

Symptoms

For adult snorers, it’s increased urination, poor libido and teeth-grinding by night, and tiredness, irritability, headaches and memory loss by day.

Children with OSA toss and turn in bed, lie in odd positions and may drool. Heavy breathing instead of snoring is common, as are teeth-grinding and bed-wetting. The lower jaw does not grow forward properly, and there is poor dentition.

Causes

Usual causes of adult snoring include a crooked septal bone in the nose, large inferior turbinates ( ridges of tissue inside the nasal passages), a short, thick neck, polyps, a prolapsed tongue base or a low-lying soft palate. Allergies and chronic rhinosinusitis are other common causes.

Children are more usually blocked from nose allergies, or enlarged adenoids or tonsils. Some may be sickly and have difficulty gaining weight; others suffer from hormonal disruptions and obesity.

Treatment

For mild snoring, a change of sleep position can help. Avoid alcohol and sleeping pills, maintain a healthy weight, and of course don’t smoke. Medication or an oral device might help, too. But don’t use an over-the-counter product without a doctor’s evaluation, as you may have multiple levels of airway obstruction that need to be specifically targeted. For severe adult OSA, continuous positive air way pressure ( CPAP) or BIPAP masks are the first line of treatment. But children cannot tolerate CPAP masks, and neither can many adults.

Surgical options

Careful, targeted surgery to the nose, the soft palate, the base of the tongue or the jaw can be the solution. For a young child, treating their allergic rhinitis, removing their adenoids and tonsils and reducing their inferior turbinates is often enough. Rest assured – removing tonsils does not weaken their immunity nor increase their risk of cancer!

Sleep studies

A sleep study can help to determine the cause and evaluate the severity of a sleep disorder. For most patients, it can be done at home.

Dr Lynne Lim Ear, Nose, Throat & Hearing Centre #17-07 Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, and #15-02 Farrer Park Medical Centre 6737 7787 | drlynnelim.com