EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SNORING

DESPITE how commonly it occurs, you may be surprised to know that snoring isn’t actually considered normal.

While occasional snoring is usually not very serious, habitual snoring can put you at risk of serious health problems.

Snoring can affect people of all ages, including children, although it is more common in adults aged 40-60. As many as one in four people in Wales snore regularly.

Twice as many men snore as women. WHAT CAUSES SNORING? Snoring is caused by the vibration of soft tissue in your head and neck during sleep.

While you sleep, your airways relax and narrow. This affects air pressure within your airways and causes the tissue to vibrate.

This can also occur if your airways are partially blocked – for example, if you have a cold.

Snoring can also be increased by being overweight, drinking excessive alcohol and smoking. WHEN SHOULD I SEE A GP? You should see a GP if your snoring is affecting aspects of your life, such as causing excessive tiredness and poor concentration, or relationship problems.

Excessive daytime sleepiness should be taken seriously, because it increases the risk of a road accident.

The Department of Transport estimates that one in five road traffic accidents are caused by excessive sleepiness.l i

It can also cause accidents with the use of machinery and vehicles, such as cranes and forklift trucks. WHAT ARE THE COMPLICATIONS? Snoring can sometimes indicate a more serious condition called obstructive sleep apnoea, where a person’s airways repeatedly become partially or totally blocked for about 10 seconds throughout the night so you snore loudly and have periodic pauses in breathing.

As a consequence, you spend less time in deep, restorative sleep, which you need to be energetic, mentally sharp and productive the following day.

Over time sleep apnoea can also lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and weight gain.

See your GP if you wake up gasping or choking during the night. You should also speak to your GP if your child snores.

Nuffield Health’s ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon Vijay Singh explains: “Sleep apnoea is a condition that interrupts your breathing when you are asleep and the cessation of breathing automatically forces you to wake up in order to start breathing again.again This interferes with your sleep and quality of life.

“To treat this, I believe in an evidence-based, transparent and multidisciplinary approach, through an open discussion with patients and close links with referring clinicians and colleagues in related specialities.” HOW CAN I TREAT SNORING? Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, are usually recommended as a first step.

Treatment can improve snoring in some cases, but a complete cure isn’t always possible.

Maintaining regular sleep hours and sticking to a steady sleep schedule will help you sleep better. Anti-snoring devices, such as mouth guards or nasal strips, may help. Surgery may be an option if they don’t help.

This often involves removing the soft tissue that causes snoring, or preventing the tissue from vibrating.

Surgery for snoring is usually regarded as a last resort.

It’s important to be aware that surgery can often have a limited effect that doesn’t last longer than one or two years. It can also cause side-effects or complications.