Snoring

The following can reduce snoring:

• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Cut down or eliminate alcohol and other sedatives at bedtime.
• Avoid sleeping flat on your back. Sleep on your side if possible. Some doctors even suggest sewing a golf or tennis ball into the back of your night clothes. Then, if you roll over onto your back, you are reminded to stay on your side because of the discomfort. Eventually, sleeping on your side is a habit and you don't need to be reminded.

Call your doctor right away if you awaken at night confused. Also call your doctor if you have:

• Excessive daytime drowsiness, morning headaches, recent weight gain, awakening in the morning not feeling rested, or change in your level of attention, concentration, or memory
• Episodes of no breathing (apnea) -- your partner may need to tell you if this is happening

Children with chronic snoring should also be evaluated for apnea. Sleep apnea in children has been linked to growth problems, ADHD, poor school performance, learning difficulties, bedwetting, and high blood pressure. Most children who snore do NOT have apnea, but a sleep study is the only reliable way to tell for sure.

Your doctor will ask questions to evaluate your snoring and perform a physical exam, paying careful attention to your throat, mouth, and neck.

Questions may include the following (some of which your partner might have to answer):

• Is your snoring loud?
• Does it occur no matter what position you are lying in or only in certain positions?
• Does your own snoring ever wake you up?
• How often do you snore? Every night?
• Is your snoring persistent during the night?
• Are there episodes when you are not breathing?
• Do you have other symptoms like daytime drowsiness, morning headaches, insomnia, or memory loss?

Referral to a sleep specialist for sleep studies may be needed.

Treatment options include:

• Weight loss
• Avoiding alcohol
• Use of nasal dilator strips (e.g., Breathe-rite strips)
• Dental appliances to prevent tongue from falling back
• Surgery (e.g., correction of a deviated septum)
• Palatoplasty -- stiffening of the palate using surgery or injection
• Use CPAP mask (a device you wear on the nose while sleeping to decrease snoring and sleep apnea)