Snoring is most often thought of as a personal problem. Unfortunately, there are times when the issue transcends the snorer and becomes an issue for the people around them as well. When snoring begins to impact your loved ones, you may need to seek out professional aid to rectify the situation. If snoring is affecting your relationships, take a look at this guide and see what treatment is available to help you manage your snores.
Snoring and Other Health Concerns
Snoring is incredibly common. When a person is asleep, it usually manifests as a rattling or rumbling sound that occurs in time with their breathing. In most cases, snoring can be attributed to an obstruction of the airways. If a person’s snoring is loud and especially jarring, it may be an indication of severe health concerns like sleep apnea. Even if the snorer does not face this condition, snoring too loudly might disrupt the sleep of those next to them. Over time, this irregular sleep may cause health problems, and the snoring may affect your relationship.
Symptoms of Snoring
There are many different symptoms of snoring that individuals may experience. The most common symptoms include:
- Rumbling
- Snortling
- Low vibrations
- Grumbling
- Whistling
- Tossing and turning
In extreme cases, snoring can be such a consistent problem that it impacts a person’s waking life. In this situation, one would likely experience:
- Headaches
- Difficulty focusing
- Emotional dysregulation
- Sudden onset sore throat
- Tiredness or fatigue throughout the day
Good sleep is foundational to a healthy life. Understanding how snoring affects your sleep and the sleep of those around you is the first step in diminishing its impact.
The Impacts of Snoring
Snoring can be very disruptive for both the snorer and anyone nearby. Over time, this type of gradual annoyance can take its toll on an individual in multiple ways. It has the potential to interfere with a couple’s sexual and emotional well-being and can even drive people to start sleeping in separate spaces.
Snoring can have an enormous impact on an individual’s quantity and quality of sleep over time. Sleep deprivation breeds numerous health consequences. The most common risks associated with sleep deprivation include:
- Anxiety and depression
- Decline in analytical skills
- Inability to pay attention
- Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Perpetual snoring can drive a wedge between couples and make managing other elements of life significantly more difficult. Solving this problem has the potential to nip many different relational and health issues in the bud.
Ways to Curb Snoring
Barring those with extreme cases, most people find that snoring is not a medically significant issue and will not receive any official snoring treatment. However, if you notice snoring affecting your sleep health and relationships, you should look into getting treatment. Some of the most commonly prescribed remedies are:
- Oral appliances
- Medications
- Lifestyle adjustments
- Nasal strips
These are all non-surgical treatments. If the origin of your snoring is something better amended by surgical means, then there are more options, including:
- Septoplasty: This type of procedure is used to rectify a deviated septum.
- Ablation therapy: This type of treatment is a radiofrequency treatment that shrinks excess tissue in the mouth.
- Tonsillectomy: In this type of procedure, a surgeon removes excess tissue from the back of the nose or the throat.
- Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty: This surgery reduces excess tissue in the soft palate and improves airflow.
You and your physician will be able to discuss which of these options is best for you during a consultation. They will assess the severity of your snoring and give you a clearer picture of how to reduce its presence in your life.
New York’s Go-To for Sleep Issues
Sleep MD NYC and its compassionate staff are entirely dedicated to providing the residents of New York with the finest sleep care available. If you are suffering from an intrusive sleep issue and would like to discuss the details of your experience with a professional, contact our office today to set up an appointment with our adult and pediatric sleep doctors.
