“The Elephant” joined us on the third day of our trip to Santiago. It came almost too late at night; but it did not go unnoticed. We slept in a large gymnasium, and suddenly, without warning, before anything could make us suspicious, a deep, muffled, and very loud sound awoke us. I’ve never heard of such a thing. It was as if Hurricane Katrina and the eruption of Krakatoa had had a wild night of sex, and a child had come out of her, and that boy was performing a heavy hardcore punk concert down the throat of a man of completely normal height, weight, and age.

I had never been interested in the world of snoring until the snorer grabbed me by the collar and told me that he was the boss over there. Fortunately, we can always turn to science.

What is snoring? In essence, snoring is a sound produced by air “passing the loosened tissues in the throat and vibrating it as you breathe.” The important thing about this is that we are all susceptible to snoring from time to time and therefore it never hurts to normalize it; but when it gets out of control, it can cause problems for both the snorer and those sleeping next to it.

So is snoring a problem? It’s possible. First of all, it prevents us from resting and lack of sleep has a terrible effect on our health (and our lives). Lack of sleep is associated with immunological, metabolic, cardiovascular, emotional and cognitive problems; with disorders such as diabetes or obesity. It makes us more tired and irritable, raises our stress levels, and causes us to take more risks and make more mistakes.

ABC’s of stopping snoring. Due to the physical nature of snoring, it is especially common in older adults and people who are overweight. Also for people who take some relaxers, sedatives or alcohol before going to bed. Therefore, when snoring becomes a problem that causes constant nighttime awakenings and consequently daytime sleepiness, the first recommendation is to “eliminate alcohol, tobacco, drugs with hypnotic or muscle relaxant effects and lose weight”.

What if that doesn’t work? It doesn’t work, we can’t, or it’s not enough. In this case, there are numerous things that can help us snore less. From devices for correcting sleep posture (because postures are important, especially on your back), to instruments such as nasal dilators, “maxillary advancement devices”, or eventually to surgical techniques designed to straighten the palate, straighten septa, or shrink tissue.

Except for the postural device (aimed at teaching sleep in less obstructive positions), the rest of these options have a similar function: increasing the area of ​​the airway. Mandibular advancement devices are special splints and do this by moving the mandible forward to bring the tongue and soft palate; both nasal dilators and surgical interventions follow the same logic in different ways.

What if things don’t get better? Experts often use the Epworth questionnaire to assess the true effect of snoring on sleep. This questionnaire is simple: it attempts to assess the likelihood of the patient falling asleep while sitting down reading a book, watching TV, as a passenger in a car, sitting and talking to someone, or eating (non-alcoholic). If our score is high, that snoring is worth the effort.

First of all, because it can be a symptom of other respiratory problems like apnea. A disorder that requires devices to ensure that the airway is not blocked during sleep. CPAP is slowly making a place on the country’s nightstands, but there are many options to consider before we get to it.

Image | Shane