Every fifth person over 30 snores at night, and men make up the majority of these people. At the same time, the stronger sex also suffers more often from the dangerous consequences of night sleep disturbance! How to cure snoring in a man?
Causes of snoring in men
They can be varied:
- curvature of the nasal septum;
- congenital narrowness of the nasal passages;
- increase in palatine tonsils;
- elongated palatine uvula;
- nasal polyps;
- displaced backwards, small lower jaw;
- obesity;
- age;
- bad habits (smoking, drinking alcohol);
- decreased thyroid function;
- chronic fatigue.
The trigger mechanism for snoring is a nightly decrease in muscle tone against the background of the existing narrowing of the pharynx.
In a healthy person, the muscles of the structures of the pharynx (root of the tongue, palatine uvula, pharyngeal tonsils, soft palate) keep the upper airways open, even when he sleeps. Breathing remains even, full, silent.
Now imagine, for example, an overweight person. Fat deposits in overweight people accumulate not only under the skin, but also between organs. Among other things, a “fat clutch” is formed around the pharynx, it compresses the upper respiratory tract, narrowing their lumen.
During the day, when all the muscles are in good shape, a person can breathe freely. But in a dream, the tone decreases, the walls of the pharynx approach each other, begin to touch, vibrate when inhaling and exhaling, creating snoring.
Often uncomplicated snoring over time turns into a dangerous disease – sleep apnea syndrome (obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, OSAS). In sleep apnea, the sleeper snores with frequent pauses in breathing during sleep, because his pharynx not only narrows, but sometimes completely collapses, blocking the flow of air. The result is episodes of suffocation lasting up to a minute or more, repeated up to 400-500 times per night.
Watch a video that shows the mechanism behind the development of snoring and sleep apnea in men.
Why is snoring dangerous for men?
Men often snore – a well-known fact. But few people think about why this happens and what it says.
Snoring in men is associated with the anatomy of the upper respiratory tract: they have a narrower lumen of the pharynx than women. In addition, men are more likely to smoke and drink alcohol, and these are independent risk factors for snoring. Due to these same features, men have more “chances” to get sick with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. And this is not only the indignation of sleep-deprived relatives, but also a direct harm to health.
Many people with sleep apnea have no idea that they are sick. During respiratory stops, a person usually does not wake up completely, so he simply cannot know what is happening to him at night. He complains of restless sleep, daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure, weakness, night sweats, connects all this with a million reasons, but not with sleep disturbance. He tries to be treated, deal with complaints, visits all kinds of specialists – but this does not help, because the reason is not in the heart, nervous system or something else, but in disorders of night breathing.
Left without treatment for months and years, without breathing for a total of 2-4 hours every night, the patient is faced with more and more serious problems. He develops arterial hypertension and coronary heart disease, his working capacity drops sharply, he constantly experiences irritability. Drowsiness becomes constant, the problem of involuntary falling asleep appears, which is very dangerous, especially for people who often drive. The risk of heart attacks, strokes, death in sleep increases 5 times.
The presence of snoring in a man is an indication for examination and treatment.
“Before, men also snored, and nothing! They worked in the fields and lived up to 80 years.”
This argument is often heard from patients.
Yes, indeed, some people who snore live long and relatively healthy lives. But, as already mentioned, snoring snoring strife. If it is uncomplicated, then such snoring does not harm anyone, except for people who share a dwelling with the “snorer”. And if it is a sleep apnea syndrome, then a person’s life expectancy, as well as its quality, are significantly reduced.
Dozens of major foreign studies have shown the relationship of sleep apnea with dangerous diseases (ischemic heart disease, heart attacks, strokes), the frequency of hospitalizations and traffic accidents due to falling asleep at the wheel. It turned out that if a patient with severe sleep apnea is not treated, there is a 50% chance that in the next 12 years he will die.
Of course, one can hope for good luck, favorable heredity, or something else. Or you can take reasonable precautions – see a doctor and get effective treatment. In conditions of frequent stress, overload, sedentary lifestyle and malnutrition, even a person without any health problems may well acquire them. What can we say about people who suffocate every night in their sleep …
Apnea is a potential risk of acquiring serious illnesses, becoming disabled and a burden on the family, or even dying.
How to cure snoring in a man?
Listed below are the most well-known treatments for snoring and the doctor’s comments on their effectiveness.
- Weight loss. A very effective measure if obesity is the only and main cause of snoring. A weight loss of just 10% from baseline improves nighttime breathing parameters by 50%. Sometimes this is enough to completely eliminate snoring.
- The use of intraoral devices (mouthguards, “nipples”). Effective in about 10% of cases: when snoring is caused by insufficient tone of the muscles of the pharynx and soft palate or a reduced lower jaw.
- Snoring operation. Average efficiency 30%. Intervention will not help the rest of the patients and, under certain conditions, may even worsen the condition. The operation helps only with an excess of soft palate tissue (as the cause of snoring).
- Anti-snoring strips for sticking on the nose. They have a positive effect on the curvature of the nasal septum, nasal polyps and other “nasal” causes of snoring (not the most common causes).
- Use of bracelets, pillows from snoring. Ineffective ways, help in isolated cases.
- Folk remedies, snoring clips, snoring sprays – the effectiveness is close to zero or absent.
With obstructive sleep apnea, any self-treatment is not only ineffective, but even dangerous.
How to get rid of snoring in a dream for a man? You need to find out the cause of this violation. The most reliable and complete information about the disease is provided by a polysomnographic study, which can be done at a sleep center. At the consultation after polysomnography , the doctor plans treatment and makes recommendations, the implementation of which leads to recovery.