Saturday, December 21, 2013

Are there any cures for snoring that really work?

Question by medium_of_dance: Are there any cures for snoring that really work?
My boyfriend snores LOUDLY and I have to take sleeping pills when we stay together, but I don't want to make that a permanent thing. Those nose strips reduce it, but still it sounds like a herd of wildebeest.
Any tried and tested reducers or cures that you know of?


Best answer:

Answer by sissyfyia
Have him get a sleep diagnostic study. They can determine why he snores and even if it is hurting his health. It is possible that he needs more oxygen when he sleeps. Some people develop sleep apneas and actually stop sleeping momentarily while they are asleep. There are actual options.

Have him sleep with his chest open if he won't have a study done. This is usualy very helpful if there isn't an underlying cause. If he sleeps on his side it may be the reason, constricted airflow.



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2 comments:

  1. The only effective thing that stopped my snoring was a CPAP machine but then I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Do you ever notice if your boyfriend stops snoring for a few seconds on and off all night. If he does this is a sign of sleep apnea. Snoring is the #1 sign of this. Here is a link with tips on how to stop snoring.
    http://www.stopsnoringtips.com/tips.htm

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  2. Both answers above are correct. The person needs a sleep study where they hook up a few monitoring devices and will look at how well he is breathing while sleeping, monitor brainwave activity to detect what stages of sleep he is in, how well his oxygen is doing, etc. They will record all this data, as well as scoring the secerity of his snoring, looking to see if he ever stops breathing, etc, form it into a report, score it, and give all that to a sleep medicine doctor or pulmonologist to be interpreted

    To answer your question there is no silver bullet for snoring, mostly CPAP (continious positive airway pressure) will splint the upper airways (throat) open to keep him from snoring. These devices can be expensive if his insurance doesnt cover it, and still expensive even if they do. I know medicare looks for so many average hypopneas per hour before they will reimburse for such machines. Hypopneas are instances where either a certain percentage of airflow is reduced or oxygentation falls by a certain percent. The devices take some getting used to and only about 60% of patients who are given a CPAP device are compliant with it.

    There are other things that can cause snoring too like enlarged tonsils, deviated septums, sinus infections, etc than can also cause snoring that can be treated through medications or even surgery if severe enough. He should also see an ENT specialist (ear, nose, and throat). I had a cousin with severely enlarged sublingual tonsils that occluded his airway by 70% when he slept, CPAP would not have helped him, so he had them surgically removed and was in a way "cured".

    - Craig Baker, registered respiratory therapist

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