For a long time, sleeping and snoring has become a common phenomenon in life. People don't think that snoring will do too much harm to patients' health except as a kind of noise that affects others' rest. Therefore, snoring in sleep has not been regarded as a pathological phenomenon and attracted people's attention. After the mid-1960s, the understanding of sleep apnea syndrome revealed the close relationship between snoring and apnea. Through the multi-channel physiological recorder to monitor the changes of sleep breathing and epidemiological investigation, it is further found that sleep snoring is not only the main sign of sleep apnea syndrome, but also closely related to hypertension and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Snoring is no longer regarded as a normal physiological phenomenon, and more and more troubled patients are gradually aware of the harm of snoring. They seek medical treatment everywhere and strongly demand treatment.
In fact, any factors that can cause airway stenosis in nasopharynx and larynx will promote snoring, such as congenital airway dysplasia, nasal septum deviation, nasal polyps, nasal mucosa hypertrophy and congestion, tonsil hyperplasia and adenoid hyperplasia, mandibular dysplasia or retraction, uvula hypertrophy, soft palate drooping, tongue hypertrophy and so on. Too much fat deposited in the neck of obese patients is also one of the causes of snoring caused by respiratory tract stenosis. There are also some patients who have no airway abnormalities during the day. When sleeping, the muscle tension around the airway decreases, and when sleeping in supine position, the root of the tongue leans back, which will also cause airway stenosis and affect the smooth airflow.
Drinking alcohol and taking sleeping pills such as diazepam can also inhibit breathing, aggravate snoring and even induce sleep apnea. In addition, smoking can also cause inflammation and edema of the upper respiratory tract, and quitting smoking can reduce the risk of snoring.
Snoring is also related to heredity, and we often see patients with familial snoring in our lives.
Obesity is an important reason to cause or aggravate snoring. Among people aged 30-59, 60% of obese men have a history of habitual snoring, while only 34% of non-obese people have a history of snoring, especially after the age of 35, because of weight gain, the incidence of snoring has increased significantly. According to the research, uneven distribution of body fat, especially neck fat deposition, has the greatest relationship with the onset, and these patients can often achieve certain therapeutic effects through effective weight loss.
Snoring is also related to age. Although there is snoring among children and adolescents, the rate is very low. After the age of 35, the incidence of snoring in postmenopausal women increases, which is closely related to obesity and muscle dysfunction in the elderly.
At present, there are hundreds of methods to treat snoring, but many of them are not reliable. There are some simple ways to relieve the disease: 1. Abstain from alcohol, especially before going to bed; 2. It is forbidden to take sedative sleeping pills; 3. lose weight; 4. Quit smoking; 5. sleep on your side; 6. Use nasal mucosa constrictor to drop nose; 7. Keep the nasal cavity unobstructed.
Snoring caused by endocrine diseases should be treated according to the primary disease, such as hypothyroidism patients should take thyroxine tablets orally; Patients with acromegaly should use drugs that inhibit the secretion of growth hormone; Nasal mucosa constrictor can be used for patients with rhinitis to keep the nasal cavity unobstructed and reduce snoring of some people. But generally speaking, the effect of drugs on snoring is limited. For example, the common anti-snoring tablets on the market, whose main component is nasal mucosa constrictor, have no obvious effect on most snorers, especially those with sleep apnea.
It is difficult for snorers to sleep on their side all night. Many people have thought of many ways. It is more effective to sew a golf ball in the right place behind the pajamas. People who snore sleep in supine position, will be caught by the ball, and naturally sleep in lateral position. After a period of time, he will get into the habit of sleeping on his side. Generally speaking, the golf ball is an ideal material with proper size and moderate hardness. After understanding this truth, we can use local materials and consider appropriate correction methods ourselves.
Surgery in otolaryngology and stomatology, correcting nasal and mandibular deformities and removing soft tissues around pharynx can often remove anatomical stenosis and reduce snoring. Snoring in children is usually caused by adenoid or tonsillar hyperplasia. Surgical removal of these hypertrophic soft tissues has a good effect. In recent years, laser surgery has been used to remove soft and drooping soft palate or thickened uvula, which requires no hospitalization, less bleeding and short operation time, only a few hundred yuan, and has a good effect on snoring patients with indications.
For some snorers who have not found obvious anatomical abnormalities or are unwilling to operate, continuous positive airway pressure can be applied. Generally, only a low pressure is needed to achieve good results for most patients. Clinical experience shows that this method is non-invasive and well tolerated by patients, which is worth recommending.
What needs special explanation is that there are many methods to treat snoring in the domestic market at present, and it is difficult for patients to make a scientific choice among the complicated new technologies and new treatments. We advocate that patients go to an experienced sleep and breathing disorder diagnosis and treatment center for regular treatment under the guidance of a specialist.
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