Snoring

Snoring is noisy breathing in sleep from vibration of the soft palate and throat. Occasional light snoring is usually harmless. Loud snoring with pauses, gasping, or daytime sleepiness may indicate obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) — a treatable condition that increases the risk of high BP, heart attack, stroke, and road accidents.

When snoring needs attention — signs of OSA

• Loud nightly snoring, usually with witnessed pauses in breathing and gasping/choking episodes (ask your partner).
• Excessive daytime sleepiness — falling asleep at meetings, while watching TV, while driving.
• Morning headaches, dry mouth, sore throat on waking.
• Poor concentration, low mood, low sex drive.
• Raised blood pressure that is hard to control.
• Frequent urination at night (nocturia).

Common risk factors

• Overweight, especially neck fat (collar size > 17 inches in men, > 16 in women).
• Large tonsils/adenoids (in children).
• Retro-placed jaw or high palate.
• Nasal blockage (deviated septum, chronic rhinitis, polyps).
• Alcohol and sedatives in the evening.
• Sleeping on the back.
• Smoking.

What helps

• Weight loss — even 5–10% makes a noticeable difference.
• Sleep on the side; a tennis ball sewn into the back of a T-shirt is a classic trick.
• Avoid alcohol for at least 3 hours before bed, limit sedatives.
• Treat nasal blockage (saline rinses, nasal steroid, ENT referral if deviated septum/polyps).
• Sleep study (polysomnography or home study) if OSA is suspected — available at many Indian hospitals and through home-sleep-test services.
• CPAP machine is the gold-standard treatment for moderate/severe OSA. Covered under some insurance plans; rentals are available.
• Oral appliances for mild/moderate OSA; surgery in selected cases.

In children

• Habitual loud snoring in children often signals enlarged tonsils and adenoids — tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy usually fixes it and improves growth, behaviour, and school performance.