Stop Snoring/Sleep Apnoea

This is a problem affecting nearly 40% of the Western population. It also has far reaching implications for the people who are in close relationship with the snorers. It can affect children and adults. At Mdt we focus on finding solutions for snorers which work for their lifestyle.

It is more common in

• men
• when sleeping on your back
• in overweight or obese people
• smokers
• after the use of sedatives or alcohol
• in people with allergies, nasal obstruction, and enlarged adenoids or tonsils

It occurs when the air space in your throat narrows and the air intake and output causes the soft tissues in your throat to vibrate. It can cause an enormous variety of sounds.

Click on the link below and take our snoring test…

Take the snoring test

Update on snoring

The consequences

• unhappiness of sleeping partner
• mouth-breathing causes increase in bad breath and higher incidence of dental issues
• inadequate amounts of sleep resulting in fatigue and depression
• 4% of snorers have sleep aponea. This is a serious medical issue, where the snorer stops breathing for more than 10 seconds at a time. I will investigate this further in another article

The treatment options

Behavioural. These are the most important to address first.

• Reduce or eliminate alcohol and sedatives, these cause oedema in the throat and depress brain function which causes relaxation of the muscles of the throat
• lose weight. Even small amounts of weight loss can reduce snoring
• sleep on your side
• reduce cigarette consumption
• no big meals within 2 hours of bedtime
• concentrate and get into the habit of breathing through your nose

Appliances

• Mandibular advancement splints(MAS) usually made by your dentist. Compliance is often low and there can be some dental ramifications
• Tongue stabilising device(TSD). Pulls the tongue forward, usually with limited success
• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure(CPAP) A cumbersome device which supplies a positive flow of air which keeps the airway open

Surgery

Before any surgery is recommended, there needs to be a lot of information gathered about the exact cause of the snoring in the individual. In most cases the snoring is reduced initially but does not take long to come back. Surgery can include the removal of the tonsils, adenoids, uvula and other nasal and soft tissue surgery.