Do I Need CPAP If I Snore
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Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) refers to SAS caused by obstructive lesions in the upper airway (including pharyngeal mucosal collapse). Snoring is the most prominent symptom of OAS. During sleep, the upper airway airflow passes through the edge of the pharyngeal mucosa and the secretions on the mucosal surface, causing vibrations and producing sound. Snoring with a loudness below 60dB is often normal. However, snoring does not necessarily mean that you have OSAS. For most people who snore, there is no need to use a CPAP machine. Although CPAP devices can usually solve the problem of snoring, they are usually only recommended for people with sleep apnea.
For people with OAS, snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, which can cause daytime sleepiness and other health problems due to repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. However, most people who snore do not have sleep apnea but simply have breathing problems due to other reasons such as nasal congestion and nasal polyps. These people can usually reduce snoring through lifestyle changes or other treatments.
Can Snoring Occur Without Sleep Apnea?
Snoring is one of the main symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but it is also common for people to snore without sleep apnea. Usually, snoring is caused by the narrow throat or nasal cavity, which leads to restricted air flow and is caused by smoking, obesity, chronic rhinitis, nasal polyps, and drinking. Mild snoring generally does not cause apnea. We divide snoring into simple snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The former is common and does not require treatment, while the latter is apnea or hypopnea between snoring at night, which is harmful to health and needs attention.
Is It Snoring Or Sleep Apnea?
We can make a comprehensive judgment from the following three aspects to see if our snoring is sleep apnea.
Symptom
The most characteristic symptoms of sleep apnea are uneven snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. The most common symptom is dry mouth in the morning. Other symptoms include loud snoring, being awakened by suffocation during sleep, or being found holding breath by cohabitants during sleep.
Uneven snoring refers to repeated, intermittent snoring within 1 to 2 minutes. The typical manifestation is that after a dozen or dozens of seconds without snoring, there is a particularly loud snoring. After several snorings, the snoring becomes weaker. However, if you do not snore when sleeping on your side, but snore when sleeping on your back, it is not uneven snoring.
People with sleep apnea have poor sleep quality, which is manifested by falling asleep quickly, excessive daytime sleepiness, or headaches and dizziness. Falling asleep quickly can easily be mistaken for good sleep quality; although excessive daytime sleepiness strongly indicates that the patient has sleep apnea, not all patients have this symptom, only about one-fifth of patients have it; some people also have a dizzy head after waking up in the morning, always feeling that they did not sleep well, even if the sleep time is not short, it seems like staying up late.
Some people will be awakened by suffocation during sleep, or their family members will find that they have apnea during sleep. These symptoms strongly suggest that the patient has sleep apnea. However, waking up by suffocation may also be caused by diseases such as heart failure, bronchial asthma, anxiety, laryngeal spasm, etc., which requires professional doctors to identify. Almost every patient with sleep apnea has dry mouth in the morning, and some symptoms are easily overlooked, such as increased nocturia and dreaming. However, these symptoms can also occur in other diseases and do not necessarily indicate that the patient has sleep apnea.
Risk Factors
Sleep apnea patients often have obesity or maxillofacial structure problems, which are manifested as obesity, short mandible, thick neck, increased waist circumference, and are prone to complications such as rhinitis, tonsillitis, gastroesophageal reflux and other diseases. Women are often more susceptible to sleep apnea during menopause or after menopause. Most people with sleep apnea smoke and drink. Generally speaking, the more risk factors a person has at the same time, the greater the probability of sleep apnea.
Comorbidities
Among the diseases that sleep apnea may cause, the most thoroughly studied one should be hypertension. Hypertensive patients, especially young hypertensive patients, should be checked for sleep apnea regardless of whether they snore or feel sleepy during the day, because sleep apnea is also one of the most common causes of hypertension.
Sleep apnea is also a high-risk factor for many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and metabolic diseases, such as heart failure, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, stroke, impotence, and diabetes. In addition, sleep apnea can also lead to inattention, memory loss, and decreased alertness. Depression and anxiety are significantly increased in patients with sleep apnea.
The above three aspects provide clues for discovering sleep apnea. Clinically, the possibility of sleep apnea can also be determined through questionnaires, such as the STOPBANG questionnaire, which is widely used to assess the possibility of obstructive sleep apnea.
Does a CPAP Machine Stop Snoring?
CPAP machines can effectively reduce or eliminate snoring and apnea, especially for people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). CPAP machines work by providing a continuous positive airflow that prevents the upper airway from collapsing, thereby keeping the airway open and reducing or eliminating snoring and apnea.
CPAP machines are suitable for most people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Studies have shown that approximately 70-90% of OSA patients experience significant improvement in symptoms after using CPAP, including fewer apnea and hypopnea events, improved blood oxygen saturation, reduced daytime sleepiness symptoms, and improved quality of life. CPAP machines can immediately improve breathing, which often includes a significant reduction in snoring. However, doctors rarely prescribe CPAP to people who snore but do not have sleep apnea.
Although CPAP machines are effective, they are not suitable for all snoring patients. For non-obstructive snoring, such as snoring caused by nasal structure problems, laryngeal … Before using CPAP, patients should undergo a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis to determine if OSA exists and whether CPAP treatment is appropriate.
Treatment Of Snoring
For people who do not have sleep apnea, CPAP is rarely used to treat snoring. Other methods are generally used to treat snoring. Effective methods for snoring treatment include lifestyle improvement, physical therapy, medication, and surgery. First, we need to understand the causes of snoring and then treat them accordingly.
Universal Treatment for Snoring
Patients can relieve snoring by improving their lifestyle and sleeping habits:
Lose weight: Obese people need to lose weight to reduce the airway narrowing caused by fat in the throat. Although reducing excess fat may not cure snoring, it usually relieves the symptoms of snoring.
Quit smoking: Quitting smoking can reduce airway inflammation or swelling and improve airway narrowing.
Limit alcohol: Avoid drinking before going to bed and avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol for a long time. This is important.
Sleeping on the side instead of lying on the back: Although snoring will occur regardless of sleeping position, when snoring is severe, if it is mild to moderate snoring, snoring is more likely when lying on the back, and lying on the side can help reduce snoring.
Avoid using too high pillows: You can raise the head of the bed appropriately to put the head and neck in a position with a clear airway, which can help relieve snoring.
Avoid taking sedatives (such as sleeping pills) before going to bed to avoid aggravating snoring.
Professional Treatment for Snoring
Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome
- Non-invasive ventilator treatment
The patient needs a machine to help keep the airway open while sleeping.
- Surgical treatment
Surgical treatment is the main treatment for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome in children. Surgical methods include removal of tonsils or adenoids. For adult patients, if there are obvious anatomical problems, the airway can be expanded through surgery, so that the patient can receive effective treatment. The specific surgical method varies depending on the location of the obstruction and stenosis. The most commonly used is uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.
Mandibular deformity
For cases of mandibular dislocation, abnormal mandibular development caused by long-term mouth breathing in children, etc., dentists can use orthodontic treatment to reduce snoring and wear corresponding braces to improve upper airway ventilation.
Nasal congestion
Treat the primary disease that causes nasal congestion, such as colds and allergic rhinitis. You can try over-the-counter medications to relieve nasal congestion and clear the nasal passages, such as using nasal sprays such as decongestants and corticosteroids to relieve nasal congestion. Be careful to avoid overdose and consult a doctor if necessary.
Nasal septum deviation, nasal polyps, nasal concha hypertrophy
Through nasal surgery such as nasal septum deviation correction and nasal polypectomy, the abnormal nasal structure is corrected and the nasal ventilation function is improved.
Too long soft palate or uvula
Surgery can be performed to remove excess soft tissue and fat tissue to expand and reshape the pharyngeal cavity.
Simple snoring
For patients with simple snoring and mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, oral appliances can be used for treatment, especially for patients with mandibular retrusion.
Treat underlying diseases
For example, use thyroxine to treat hypothyroidism.
Tips To Prevent Snoring
- Strengthen physical exercise and maintain good living habits.
Avoid smoking and drinking, because smoking can cause respiratory symptoms to worsen, and drinking can aggravate snoring, nocturnal breathing disorders, and hypoxemia. Especially drinking before going to bed.
For obese people, they should actively lose weight and increase exercise.
Snoring patients often have decreased blood oxygen content, so they are often accompanied by high blood pressure, heart rhythm disorders, increased blood viscosity, increased heart burden, and easily lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to blood pressure monitoring and take antihypertensive drugs on time.
Do not take sedatives or sleeping pills before going to bed to avoid aggravating the inhibition of respiratory center regulation.
Sleep in a side-lying position, especially the right side, to avoid the tongue, soft palate, and uvula from relaxing and falling back during sleep, which will aggravate upper airway obstruction.
Postoperative patients should eat soft food and avoid overly hot food. Avoid strenuous activities.
Choose an appropriate pillow. Some people think that raising the pillow can help improve breathing. In fact, doing so has the opposite effect. It is recommended to choose a softer, more elastic, and appropriately high pillow to facilitate smooth breathing.
Do not drink alcohol before going to bed. Drinking alcohol before going to bed will increase blood sugar and blood pressure, narrow the respiratory tract, make breathing difficult, and cause snoring.
Use a humidifier to keep the air in the bedroom moist to avoid a dry throat and mouth.
Eat some honey before going to bed. Honey helps lubricate the throat and unclog the respiratory tract. So you can add some honey to the soothing tea you drink before going to bed to prevent snoring.
Exercise properly. Maintain healthy living habits, strengthen exercise, lose weight appropriately, and keep in good shape. These will help solve the snoring problem that bothers sleep and quality of life.
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