Fellow Hexites...
Apparently I snore like an elephant with bronchitis. I've picked up a snoring app for my phone which records the volume all night, so I can see if stuff works. Anyone else have a problem with snoring? I've been to the doctor who suggested beconase, but that doesn't seem to work and the only other thing he's suggested is surgery to reshape my soft palate.
Seems a bit much, can anyone recommend anything else?
Was this a GP or an ENT specialist?
As I understand it, what works depends on the cause of the problem, which could be one of quite a few things. Possible causes include excessive alcohol at night, eating late ar night, soft palate issues, even blockages in nasal cavities.
One person of my acquaintance, for instance, had a (genetic) issue with sinuses that required surgery (basically, removing excess bone with what amounted to a tiny hammer and chisel) to cure a breathing problem and serious sleep apnea. He collected a nasty headache that lasted about 3 weeks, but it cured the breathing problem. A nice side-effect was that, afterwards, he slept breathing though his nose, not his mouth, and the snoring was effectively eliminated.
If your GP suggested Beconase, it suggests he suspected a similar nasal obstructipn which, as I understand it, Beconase would help if it had been a mucus buildup, but wouldn't much help if it's a more durable obstruction.
Then again, I'm not a doctor, so it's just my amateur interpretation.
My advice? Keep with the GP. Often, their process is "try this, try that" because it's a process of eliminating possibilities, starting with the least invasive, and working out what isn't the problem in order to narrow down and work out what is.
Do you also have Sleep Apnea?
A CPAP will stop snoring...
I have sleep apnoea, and use a CPAP machine myself. Do you have any other symptoms other than snoring? Morning headaches, falling asleep at intervals during the daytime, fatigue, poor concentration & memory problems are also associated with sleep apnoea...
GP. Next step is an ENT specialist.Originally Posted by jim
The reason he suggested that is apparently that's the first thing an ENT specialist will suggest. I'm planning on stopping with all the booze next week to see if that helps, and ramping up the exercise to lose a bit of weight - although the doctor did say although I'm a little overweight, 'It looks like muscle.'
No. I'm permanently tired, but that's just because I have 3 small kids, the youngest of which regularly is still up at 11:30pm.
Snoring is a tricky thing to diagnose and the causes can be numerous.
To give you a view on my own experience, I struggle a lot with sleep quality and go through frequent periods of insomnia where I just cannot fall asleep, but even when I do, my sleep quality is very poor and I snore throughout the night leading to me being tired most of the time....and a moody girlfriend when I inevitably wake her up as a result!
I have private healthcare and have been treated for a deviated septum (didn't help, although I can breathe easier through my nose now!) and also had a uvulectomy at the same time as my surgeon managed to push it through my insurance as part of the septoplasty, which has helped the snoring a little..but not the sleep quality. Neither operation is easy to obtain on the NHS unfortunately and they 100% will not proceed if its snoring related, at least not without several years of waiting.
My GP has ran me through various tests for Apnea and doesn't believe that I have it, mostly as I don't fall asleep randomly in the day or have memory issues (although I am dubious..I have to trust him) and has put my snoring and poor sleep down mostly to a combination of stress (causing my insomnia) and being overweight (leading to the snoring)..and tbh I find it hard to disagree logically!
The best advice I can give is to a) lose weight (if even slightly overweight) and 2) go and see your GP regularly. I have made a number of lifestyle changes to enable me to lose weight over a sensible period of time and when I get back to my target..i'll go back again if symptoms don't improve - but its a tricky, vicious circle. Snoring can lead to poor quality sleep and that leads to being tired, which commonly leads to stress, which leads to weight gain...and round again in that circle. When you are already shattered finding the motivation to go to the gym is even harder.
Other things I have tried that don't work include the mouth guards (designed to help open your airway), becomase, flixonase, another steroid spray who's name I can't remember, changing sleeping angles (avoiding your back), steam before bed..
I sympathise as its not nice for you - but really, stick with your GP, trust them and although it will take time, they will rule things out one at a time and hopefully eventually you'll find the true cause and get it sorted. If its affecting your quality of life the NHS will eventually pull through for you, even if it takes longer than it probably should!
Hmmm.
Can I suggest bring a bit cautious with that kind of assumption.
I mean, yes, that might be the reason, but it also might only be part of the reason. It's not a trivial point. Been there done that. It's easy to attribute a symptom to an obvious, rational cause like that BUT it might also as a result of a more onerous medical issue.
For instance, I know someone that put .... ummm .... bladder issues down to being a known side-effect of a diuretic treating hypertension, that being a well-known pretty common side-effect. It's also a symptom of prostate cancer, and mis-assuming the cause in that way is a seriously not good move
All I'm saying is to not assume away other possibilities just because your expkanation is likely. You may well be right, but you may not. Extreme permanent tiredness can be caused by all sorts of things, from blood chemistry imbalances, to thyroid issues to .... well, you get the idea.
Back to the GP.
Though, if my experience is typical, you may have to be a bit pushy because many GPs seem to prefer to take the easy path if you let them, and if yoy tell 'em it's due to three young kids, they'll take you at your word.
Ahh GP's can be a pain. I've been told I snore by my girlfriendbut I'm not so sure
. I tend to sleep on my front a lot as for some reason sleeping on my back or sides isn't very comfortable which I've been told helps snoring ;O
There are three different causes of snoring.
Mouthbreathers: Snorers who breathe with their mouth open at night. You can diagnose this by checking if you tend to breathe primarily through your mouth during the day. A mouth guard will usually remedy this.
Tongue-based snorers: The tongue sits too far back in the mouth at night restricting the airway. To diagnose, try making a snoring sound and if you can then try to make the sound again while gripping your tongue between your teeth and closing your lips over it, if you can no longer make the sound you are probably a tongue-based snorer. There are special mouthguards that will bring your tongue and lower jaw forward.
Nasal snorers: Occurs as a result of structural problems within the nostril ie one nostril is weak or a deviated septum. To diagnose stand by a mirror and hold one nostril closed, then breathe in. If the other nostril also closes it is probably weak and the cause of your snoring. The best cures are nasal dilators and in extreme cases surgery
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