Snoring is when excess tissue in your throat vibrates as you breathe in air causing you to snore. You would think snoring symptoms would be super apparent, but that’s not always the case. We have a lot of patients who don’t sleep with anyone and can’t figure out if they’re snoring a lot. Here are some of the most common symptoms.

• Breathing pauses during sleep
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Trouble concentrating
• Headaches in the AM
• Restless sleep
• High blood pressure
• Sore throat upon awakening

Snoring can be caused by many different factors including

• Your mouth anatomy: If you have a thick soft palate, this can narrow your airway.
• Alcohol which relaxes your throat muscles.
• Nasal issues such as a deviated nasal septum
• Sleep position

Our first line of defense against snoring is typically recommending lifestyle changes such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol before sleep, treating nasal congestion or avoiding sleeping on back.  We may also suggest to stop snoring

• Oral appliances that change the position of your jaw and tongue
• A CPAP machine which directs pressurized air into your breathing airway
• Upper airway surgery that can help open the upper airway and prevent narrowing during sleep