Technically speaking, snoring occurs when the uvula touches other structures. The uvula is a small soft structure hanging from the palate above the root of the tongue. This is all located at the entrance to the pharynx which carries the air from the nasal cavity to the larynx or the voice box. When the uvula vibrates in the air stream, a snoring sound will occur as the uvula touches the other structures.
In layman’s terms, snoring occurs when there is something that disrupts the flow of air. This disruption may be a blocked nose, sort of like the base of the tongue has restricted one’s breathing. But most commonly is the one that I first mentioned wherein the uvula or the soft tissue in one’s upper palate or throat gets in the way and starts vibrating.
So, what is it about snoring? Who the hell really cares if you snore? Almost everybody snores, right? Approximately, there is about 45 percent of the world population that snore at least occasionally. You might think that the world does not stop just because you snore. Nevertheless, it has been reported that snoring has led up to 80 percent of couples sleeping in different rooms. It has certainly caused the partners of people who snore great distress to sleep in another room.
Snoring may not seem to bother anyone. However, snoring can be dangerous. Maybe you have heard of obstructive sleep apnea. It is a sleep disorder that is likely to threaten one’s life. Those people who have sleep apnea when they are exhausted and stressed out, they cannot function properly and they have been diagnosed to have depression. Sleep apnea may also raise you blood pressure as it reduces the flow of oxygen to your brain. Furthermore, sleep apnea may also lead to certain dangerous medical situations like heart attack, stroke and death. So, you might ask, what has sleep apnea have to do with snoring? Well, snoring is one of the symptoms of sleep apnea. So, do not ignore snoring. In addition, snoring is not just a symptom of the sleep disorder. In the long run, snoring can also cause sleep apnea.
Moreover, to make a point that snoring is not something anyone should neglect, recent studies have shown that snoring may lead to diabetes. How? Studies have found out that snoring reduces one person’s intake of oxygen which triggers the body in producing more catecholamines which may further lead to insulin resistance, a recognized precursor of diabetes.
Snoring is not something to take lightly. If you snore, consult a physician at once. There are a lot of cures or treatments to snoring, some of which include certain surgeries like uvulopalatoplasty. A lifestyle change could also treat snoring; this means that vices like smoking, drinking, overeating and caffeine should be stopped. And since it has been found out that snoring usually happens when one is lying on the back; thus, turning over on the side will also likely stop the snoring.
Other treatments would also include, throat sprays, and nasal dilation, learning to breathe on the nose, usage of mouthpiece devices, palatal inserts and radio frequency reduction.
