Snoring is a problem that begins with the process of nasal congestion during sleep. The air taken from the mouth hits the uvula, causing vibrations and the sound we call snoring occurs.
The soft palate, tongue root, pharynx, epiglottis (the valve that closes the airway during swallowing and prevents food from escaping) are included in the process.
The anatomically long and drooping uvula increases snoring. We call this simple snoring. During sleep, the soft palate and uvula relax and sag with the relaxation of the muscular system.
In case of nasal congestion, a negative pressure occurs in the pharynx. This pressure pulls the tissues inward and for a while the airway is completely closed. We call this condition apnea. It’s literally the moment of drowning. When the oxygen in the blood decreases (hypoxia) and the carbon dioxide increases, our respiratory center is stimulated and gives the command to breathe, resulting in a deep breathing.
This is repeated over and over during sleep. Sometimes, there may be situations that we call hypopnea in the form of slowed breathing, which is not complete apnea.
Snoring and apnea are often not noticed by the person. He notices the spouse or relative lying next to him. He describes holding his breath for a moment and then a deep sigh. We call this witnessed apnea. It gives an important clue in diagnosis.
Temporary snoring during periods of fatigue is not a problem. But it is important that it is continuous and that apnea develops.
Nasal congestion, overweight, narrow throat structure, large tonsils, hypertrophic tongue root, snoring increase the tendency to apnea. Smoking, alcohol, full stomach and lying on the back provoke snoring and apnea.
Apneas affect a person’s depth of sleep. REM sleep is an important phase during which the body relaxes. Apnea prevents this phase from occurring. Even if you get enough sleep in the morning, what we call sleep hunger occurs when you wake up in the morning. The desire to sleep a little more paves the way for a number of health problems such as daytime naps, forgetfulness, concentration problems, learning difficulties, irritability, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, stroke, sexual dysfunctions.
In such patients, a sleep test is performed after a complete ENT examination. In this test, which is done by being hospitalized for one night; During the night, many parameters such as apnea number, low oxygen, heart rate, brain waves are measured.
As a result of the test; Whether or not there is obstructive sleeping sickness, if any, the degree, mild, moderate, and severe are determined.
In mild and moderate cases, surgery can be performed depending on the location of the pathology in the patient.
If there is nasal curvature and nasal concha problem, they should be corrected, if there is sagging of the soft palate, small tongue length, tonsil size, these points should be intervened.
After the tonsil is removed, the uvula is shortened to a certain extent and the throat entrance is widened. During sleep, collapse is prevented.
In severe apnea cases, special devices called CPAP, which give air with pressure through the nose, are used. The person keeps this device plugged in during sleep at night. Apnea is completely corrected and sleep comfort is increased by one hundred percent.