Snoring - Causes, effects and how we can help

Snoring isn't that serious, is it?  Really, it's just a bit of a nuisance, right?

For many this is true enough, they snore occasionally, or their partner is woken from their sleep from time-to-time, but it's usually resolved with a swift kick under the covers, the offender turns over, and silence reigns again.

Unfortunately this is not always the case, and snoring has become a serious problem for some.  Not only does it affect the health of the snorer, but it can have detrimental effects on their partner too.  We all need an adequate amount of sleep to function properly, both mentally and physically.  Sleep deprivation can lead to increased anxiety and depression, high blood pressure and weight gain, lowered immunity, trouble concentrating and memory loss.

So why do people snore?  For the most part, it is a physical  issue - relaxed muscles make the airway smaller, air travels through this narrower space faster and vibrates the soft tissues.  The result tis that familiar snoring noise.

There are a number of things that can make snoring worse:

• Smoking dries out tissues in the nose and airway, making snoring louder
• Alcohol further relaxes the muscles and disrupts sleep quality
• Medication, particularly sedatives
• Eating a heavy meal close to bedtime
• Sleeping on your back

By avoiding these as much as possible you may be able to reduce your snoring and improve your quality of sleep.  But what happens if you have tried everything and nothing seems to help? What are your options?

The next step you could take would be to book an appointment for a consultation with us.  We are now able to provide anti-snoring appliances, which are worn at night.  They look similar to a sports mouthguard, and work by holding the lower jaw forward, which in turn moves the tongue forward and opens up the airway.  These appliances can be extremely effective at eliminating snoring and sleep apnoea.

For further information or to book a consultation with Dr Andrew Wallace, call our Reception Team on 028 92 663022, or email us at info@bachelorswalk.co.uk.