Can anyone give suggestions on my snoring problem?
My fiance cannot stand sleeping in the same room with me. Apparently I snore very loudly. We are getting married very soon, so this is a big problem. We will be married and I want to sleep in the same room as her…
What we have tried:
Breathe Right strips- work a LITTLE bit, but fall off in the night. No Go!
Also have a sleep study scheduled with the doctor to see if I have sleep apnea.
What can we do?!
I don’t think I have sleep apnea, because I can sleep for 8 hours and feel rested. I am somewhat overweight, but I have lost 60 lbs and plan to lose more. The weight loss has not changed it.
I DID get my nose broken in the 7th grade and I do have a deviated septum ( I think the nose is the problem), but the damn doctor will not refer me to the ENT until after the sleep study…. and my insurance runs out 15 days after the sleep study.. OY!
Filed under: Snoring
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There is a long answer to this common question. The severity of your snoring (sleep study will determine this) will dictate how aggressive you should be. Also, if you are overweight by more than 20lbs, weight loss can help. As a general rule, snoring is caused by a few things:
1) the distance from your tongue to the hyoid bone – meaning that people with short jaws and short necks are likely to snore and have obstructive sleep apnea.
2) the size of your tonsils (if present) and how low your soft palate and uvula (the punching bag in the back of your throat) hang.
3) obesity/soft tissue in the neck
4) ability to breathe through the nose
5) any intoxicating factors or neurological problems (don’t take sedatives or drink alcohol before bed).
6) large tongue
What can be done? It is a wide range…but the simplest starting points are weight loss and avoid sleeping supine (flat on your back). Some people tape a tennis ball to the back of the shirt they sleep in to keep them from turning on to their back while sleeping. Some people still snore quite a lot while laying on their side. Although uncomfortable, most people would not snore if they could sleep prone (on their belly).
Surgery – depends on the cause….for low palate/large tonsils, you can undergo a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) this is a surgery that removes the tonsils and cuts away part of the soft palate. It can be quite painful, the recovery time is about 3-4 weeks. Works only if you are thin and don’t have other causes (see above). Insurance covers this if you have sleep apnea (not just for snoring).
A more junior procedure just for snoring is called a somnoplasty which involves removing the uvula and applying an electrode to the soft palate (causing some scarring/firming of it). This is not covered by insurance.
Sliding genioplasty (the jaw is cut and advanced forward) – works for short-jawed thin guys..recovery about 3 weeks. Pain not as bad as UPPP but many times insurance won’t cover this.
Septoplasty – if having trouble breathing through nose…can be combined with sliding genioplasty, somnoplasty or UPPP.
tongue reduction – not shown to work, very morbid (speech/swallowing problems), I don’t recommend this
dental appliances – may help with mild snoring and even some sleep apnea…most patients stop using this over time … it’s uncomfortable.
For moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, patients use Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), a machine that blows air in your face to keep the soft tissues from collapsing while you sleep. It can be difficult to sleep with one of these machines, but many patients can do it. It does help with snoring, but at the price of having a machine (which can be noisy) strapped to your face.
The last line of treatment for the most severe cases of sleep apnea is the tracheotomy…you probably don’t need that.
Best of luck to you in your new nuptuals…there is a lot of information out there, and these are my opinions on what works (and a few things that don’t).
There is a snorestop spray that, I believe, numbs your throat so you won’t snore.
My husband snores really loud too. I got tired of leaving the room so I just invested in a good pair of earplugs.
Good luck with the wedding!
I snored horribly until I lost about 50 lbs—if you are overweight, lose some.
I my opinion, it’s probably not sleep apnea. Because there are a lot of other symptoms, such as exhausted during the day, being over weight, waking up out of breath. It could be your sinuses. Try a saline spray (it’s basically salt water) or two pillows. Also, keep your heat down to 65 degrees. Because the dry hair makes the room stuffy and harder to breathe.
If i had a snoring problem, I would take lots of halls or mints to clear up my nose, or i might use a nasal spray.
medicine