Snoring is not a disease. That is why snoring therapy is often not only aimed at preventing snoring. Much more frequently, snoring therapy is about avoiding dangerous breathing interruptions that occur as part of sleep apnoea syndrome.
Doctors often combine different approaches in snoring therapy to ensure the quality of life and oxygen supply of those affected. Thanks to the various options, it is now possible to tailor the therapy to the causes.
In mild cases and at the beginning of treatment, doctors advise a healthier lifestyle.
This is because snoring is often caused by
Patients often achieve a significant improvement by reducing their weight and improving their sleep hygiene.
If this is not enough, there are various options available to the doctor. Bite splints or respiratory therapies alleviate the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea in particular.
If these therapies also fail, doctors resort to surgical procedures. The procedure takes place where the snoring originates in the individual case. The neurostimulation procedure, in which a type of tongue pacemaker is implanted, is relatively new.
Many people snore and some suffer greatly from it. This is why there are many ineffective aids and tips: From nonsensical appliances to anti-snoring sprays to a tennis ball in your pyjamas to avoid lying on your back. The problem is that they often do not improve the quality of sleep. However, improving the quality of sleep is the aim of any effective sleep therapy. And not every therapy is suitable for every snorer.
Reasons to have snoring treated and examined include
Anyone suffering from these symptoms should ask their family doctor or an ear, nose and throat specialist for help. This is because it is important for effective treatment that the doctor treating you knows the anatomical cause of the snoring.
Treatment is not necessary for snoring itself, but urgent for sleep apnoea
Snoring is not a problem that requires medical treatment. Many sufferers want to stop snoring, mainly due to social pressure. For example, if their partner suffers a lot from the noises at night, the snorer also suffers a lot.
Snoring is often caused by a vibration in the palate and throat. This is made possible by muscle relaxation during sleep - which is why we do not snore when we are awake. In these mild cases with no pathological value, snoring therapy aims to prevent this vibration and thus snoring.
Breathing during snoring @ bilderzwerg /AdobeStock
In contrast, sleep apnoea requires treatment because in severe cases it can even have life-threatening consequences. In addition, the risk of secondary diseases such as diabetes is increased due to the persistently low oxygen levels in the blood. Almost half of untreated patients die within ten years.
This is why sufferers should not take this condition lightly. Sleep apnoea is a sleep-related breathing disorder that may or may not be accompanied by snoring.
During sleep, the ring-shaped muscles around the upper airways relax. In people with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) , the throat cannot withstand the negative pressure that is created when breathing in. As a result, the upper part of the airway collapses. It collapses like a plastic straw that a child sucks on while holding an opening closed. This blocks the airways and oxygen saturation drops.
A protective reaction of the body to the rising CO2 level causes those affected to always wake up. The interruptions mean that sleep is no longer restful.
Snoring therapy pursues and combines various approaches. The focus is on a healthier lifestyle. Good sleep hygiene also improves snoring. Therapies that aim to stop the patient sleeping on their back are controversial.
This does not improve the quality of sleep. The supine position is usually not the sole cause of snoring.
The best treatment for sleep apnoea is nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP). The patient wears a breathing mask that pumps room air into the airways via a blower. This positive pressure keeps the airways open.
If the teeth and gums are healthy, doctors insert a protrusion splint that moves the lower jaw forward by a few millimetres. As a result, the base of the tongue no longer falls back and the airways remain open. Such protrusion splints are often the first sleep therapy and often significantly alleviate the symptoms.
If these treatments do not sufficiently improve snoring, various surgical procedures remain. Nasal surgery alone does not alleviate the problem in most cases .
Moving the upper and lower jaw forward is much more promising and has a similar effect to the protrusion splint.
A tonsillectomy and simultaneous tightening of the soft palate is also a relatively common surgical procedure for snoring.
Neurostimulation procedures (NSHG) give cause for hope. They often also work in patients for whom other therapy attempts have been unsuccessful. These so-called tongue pacemakers stimulate a nerve called the hypoglossal nerve so that the tongue stretches forward.
Doctors recommend that patients lead a healthy lifestyle, regardless of whether they have surgery or not. This is because being overweight reduces the success of surgery and is even a contraindication for some procedures.
Exercise, good sleep hygiene and a healthy diet help to prevent snoring and ensure the success of the therapy.
Promote sleep hygiene:
Conservative therapies generally have a high success rate, although patients accept them to varying degrees. The protrusion splint is much more popular with many patients than a ventilator because it requires much less adjustment. Either way, when it comes to snoring therapy, it is important that patients establish new habits. This is the only way for the therapy to be successful in the long term.
Around 57 percent of men and 40 percent of women snore @ WavebreakmediaMicro /AdobeStock
The options for treating snoring have developed further in recent decades. In many cases, doctors can therefore help those affected quickly and without surgery.
A careful examination and diagnosis is important in order to find an effective therapy for the individual causes. In most cases, however, sleep therapy never ends.
Instead, those affected integrate it into their lives and thus prevent health problems and operations. Because restful sleep improves the quality of life of those affected, many people are able to stay on the ball.
Complications occur mainly during surgical procedures.
Possible side effects include
However, thanks to gentle procedures, the risk is lower today than it was a few years ago. And the chances of success for operations are also good.
For example, the success rate for tonsillectomy with simultaneous palate lifting is around 50 percent.
The overall prognosis is therefore good: if you find the right form of therapy for you with the help of a competent doctor, you will overcome snoring and sleep apnoea in most cases.
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