Do you snore? Try boiled food at supper
Jun 26, 2007
WE often laugh at people who snore, sometimes calling them a ‘social problem’.<br>Snoring is no laughing matter. According to Dr. Edward Turitwenka, an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) consultant, snoring can be a symptom of a brain tumour.
By Aisha Ahmad
WE often laugh at people who snore, sometimes calling them a ‘social problem’.
Snoring is no laughing matter. According to Dr. Edward Turitwenka, an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) consultant, snoring can be a symptom of a brain tumour.
The surgeon at Tays Consultation Clinic on KPC building, says when identified early, the tumour can be operated upon.
Turitwenka says adults, whose heart is already weak, risk a heart attack when they snore. He says people who snore may get short of breath and wake up gasping and feeling dizzy. This happened to writer John McEntee who, in his November 29, 2005 article, The Snore War in the Daily Mail, says “My expert had the results of the sleep study and the computer graph indicated that at one stage I had stopped breathing for 36 seconds.â€
Causes of snoring
Turitwenka says snoring is a coarse sound made by vibrations of the soft palate and other tissue in the mouth, nose and throat (upper airway).
The turbulence inside the airway during breathing is caused by a partial blockage that may be located anywhere from the tip of the nose to the vocal chords. When one sleeps, the tongue may fall back blocking the air passage and causing vibrations in the throat, which we hear as snoring, he says.
In children, this kind of blockage in the airway may cause mal-development in the jaws, poor feeding habits and general weakness during the day, which is also common in adults.
l Snoring is common in people who are overweight. In her article, Snoring Women, Janice Kumar says the fat in obese people tends to get deposited around the neck, compressing the soft tissue in the oral cavity, which obstructs the airflow. Obese people also tend to have short necks, which affects the proper position of the tongue, narrowing the airway.
Consuming too much alcohol, sedatives and depressants before bedtime may relax muscles in the throat and depress the respiratory passage, causing the soft tissue to vibrate.
The sleeping position also matters. “When you lie on your back to sleep, the tongue falls back into the throat and narrows the airway obstructing the easy flow of air,†Dr. Vincent Kawooya of Abii Clinic was quoted in the press as saying.
Age also weakens throat muscles, causing the surrounding tissues to sag and vibrate, producing the disturbing snoring sound during sleep.
Kawooya says when snoring is so severe, it may be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the airflow between the nose and mouth is obstructed for at least 10 seconds during sleep. When this happens the patient is forced to wake up, gasping for breath because the oxygen supply to the brain is reduced, thus stimulating the brain to jerk the patient into wakefulness.
He also says swollen adenoids and tonsils (small glands located at the back of the mouth – tonsils and in the top of the throat behind the nose – adenoids) can also cause the problem. During infections in the throat, they swell and compromise the airway, causing snoring.
Janise also says allergies can irritate the nasal passage, causing mucous formation and blockages that lead to snoring during sleep.
How to prevent snoring
Kawooya advises that a person should be waken up if they are snoring loudly.
Changing the sleeping position helps. Kawooya says it is advisable to sleep on the side rather than on the back. “Use a pillow so that the body is in alignment,†he says.
Turitwenka says snoring can only top if the cause is curable.
For hereditary snoring, the family may be born with a narrow space between the ear and the air passage. In such a case, widening the breathing space is possible either through dilators or operation, he says.
Dilators may be nasal drops which are applied inside the nostrils to keep the space wide.
There are also herbal mouth sprays which help keep the air passage clean and clear while sleeping. Snore pillows have also been invented to help the backsleepers lie on the side reducing incidence of snoring.
Those who take alcohol should reduce on the amount they take. In obese people, loss of weight can cure the problem. Having an allergy test is also important to know what allergen could be causing your snoring so that you can avoid it.
Eating healthy may help. You may have to stop eating fried food and instead bake or grill the food. Also taking more fruits and vegetables helps. However, if snoring goes on over a long period of time or is accompanied by choking, see an Ear Nose and Throat specialist.
Surgery should be a last resort, especially if your snoring is not caused by tumours.
WE often laugh at people who snore, sometimes calling them a ‘social problem’.
Snoring is no laughing matter. According to Dr. Edward Turitwenka, an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) consultant, snoring can be a symptom of a brain tumour.
The surgeon at Tays Consultation Clinic on KPC building, says when identified early, the tumour can be operated upon.
Turitwenka says adults, whose heart is already weak, risk a heart attack when they snore. He says people who snore may get short of breath and wake up gasping and feeling dizzy. This happened to writer John McEntee who, in his November 29, 2005 article, The Snore War in the Daily Mail, says “My expert had the results of the sleep study and the computer graph indicated that at one stage I had stopped breathing for 36 seconds.â€
Causes of snoring
Turitwenka says snoring is a coarse sound made by vibrations of the soft palate and other tissue in the mouth, nose and throat (upper airway).
The turbulence inside the airway during breathing is caused by a partial blockage that may be located anywhere from the tip of the nose to the vocal chords. When one sleeps, the tongue may fall back blocking the air passage and causing vibrations in the throat, which we hear as snoring, he says.
In children, this kind of blockage in the airway may cause mal-development in the jaws, poor feeding habits and general weakness during the day, which is also common in adults.
l Snoring is common in people who are overweight. In her article, Snoring Women, Janice Kumar says the fat in obese people tends to get deposited around the neck, compressing the soft tissue in the oral cavity, which obstructs the airflow. Obese people also tend to have short necks, which affects the proper position of the tongue, narrowing the airway.
He also says swollen adenoids and tonsils (small glands located at the back of the mouth – tonsils and in the top of the throat behind the nose – adenoids) can also cause the problem. During infections in the throat, they swell and compromise the airway, causing snoring.
How to prevent snoring
Kawooya advises that a person should be waken up if they are snoring loudly.
Changing the sleeping position helps. Kawooya says it is advisable to sleep on the side rather than on the back. “Use a pillow so that the body is in alignment,†he says.
Turitwenka says snoring can only top if the cause is curable.
For hereditary snoring, the family may be born with a narrow space between the ear and the air passage. In such a case, widening the breathing space is possible either through dilators or operation, he says.
Dilators may be nasal drops which are applied inside the nostrils to keep the space wide.
There are also herbal mouth sprays which help keep the air passage clean and clear while sleeping. Snore pillows have also been invented to help the backsleepers lie on the side reducing incidence of snoring.
Those who take alcohol should reduce on the amount they take. In obese people, loss of weight can cure the problem. Having an allergy test is also important to know what allergen could be causing your snoring so that you can avoid it.
Eating healthy may help. You may have to stop eating fried food and instead bake or grill the food. Also taking more fruits and vegetables helps. However, if snoring goes on over a long period of time or is accompanied by choking, see an Ear Nose and Throat specialist.
Surgery should be a last resort, especially if your snoring is not caused by tumours.