Taking care of those ‘noises’ in the night

By Mark Netherda | March 26, 2017 | DailyRepublic.com

If you have ever been woken up by someone snoring (or been told you snore), you are not alone.

Snoring is a very common condition. According to a study done in 2005, about 9 percent of women and 30 percent of men snore regularly. There are estimated to be about 90 million snorers in the United States.

Reported famous snorers from history include Queen Victoria, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte and Theodore Roosevelt. It is reported that Teddy Roosevelt snored so loudly, that once when he was hospitalized, other patients complained about not being able to sleep and asked to be moved away from the former president’s room.

Snoring is caused when the passages at the back of a person’s nose and mouth (airway) get partially blocked. When someone with a blocked airway exhales, the air escaping from the lungs makes the airway tissues vibrate. This vibration causes the noise we hear as snoring. Because everyone is built differently, no two snorers sound the same.

The average snore is around 40 decibels. That’s the same level as people speaking softly, like in a library. But, some people snore much louder. One of the loudest snorers on record is a woman from England whose snoring in 2009 was recorded at over 110 decibels! That’s equal to the noise from power saws, a baby crying, leaf blowers, the average disco and even a subway train.

Risk factors linked to snoring include being male, age over 40, obesity, smoking, drinking alcohol, using sleeping pills, being overly tired, blocked nasal passages, large tonsils, and sleeping positions, especially sleeping on the back.

Snoring can be a serious problem for some people. Snoring disrupts sleep, creating a lack of rest and causing the snorer (or roommate) to be overly tired during the day. This can lead to higher blood pressure, the release of stress hormones and lack of productivity during the day.

Snoring can be a sign of “Obstructive Sleep Apnea” or OSA, a dangerous medical condition. (OSA will be discussed more thoroughly in a later article). Snoring can also cause significant social and psychological problems. Snoring can cause roommates and bedpartners to need to move to another room. Think of all the times snoring has been used for comedy in movies and on television. The snorer is often made fun of, which can make snorers self-conscious and may, in extreme cases, lead to isolation.

Fortunately, there are some non-medical things you can try to improve snoring. Although not all snorers are overweight and not all overweight people snore, weight loss is often very helpful. Weight loss reduces the tissues in the airways that are vibrating to cause the snoring. Exercise, while adding to weight loss, also helps improve and maintain muscle tone to keep the airways open. Avoid alcohol and sleeping pills to help maintain muscle tone, too. Elevating the head of the bed with a mattress wedge or by placing 4 inch blocks under the legs at the head of the bed can help.

A lot of “over-the-counter devices” are sold to help with snoring by opening nasal passages or changing the position of the tongue or jaw. Unfortunately, most have little or no evidence that they work and are probably not worth the money. Ultimately, if you or your roommate has a serious problem with snoring, a visit to the doctor is recommended. The sleep you improve, may not be your own!

Mark Netherda, MD is Regional Medical Director for Solano and Yolo counties Partnership HealthPlan of California, a partner of Solano Coalition for Better Health.