Snoring Specialist

What’s snoring?

Snoring involves noisy breathing during sleep and is common among all ages and genders. This common disorder may cause social embarassment, marital problems, and may signify more serious medical conditions.  As you sleep, your throat muscles relax, causing your tongue to fall backwards; and, through your normal breathing patterns, the walls of the throat begin to vibrate. These vibrations lead to snoring. Snoring can get louder as the airway narrows. However, if the walls of the throat collapse sufficiently and become occluded, it creates a serious condition called apnea. About one-half of people who snore have obstructive sleep apnea.

Several factors cause snoring, including the aging process, anatomical abnormalities, functional abnormalities like inflammation, sleep position, and obesity.

What are the symptoms associated with snoring?

Snoring causes a vibrating, rattling noise during sleep. You should consult a doctor if you snore and have any of the following symptoms or signs:

• Excessive sleepiness
• Morning headaches
• Recent weight gain
• Awakening in the morning not feeling rested
• Awaking at night feeling confused
• Change in your level of attention, concentration, or memory
• Observed pauses in breathing during sleep

How is snoring treated?

Snorers are usually not aware that they snore and must be evaluated by a sleep specialist to determine how snoring affects their sleep quality. A consultation with a specialist involves a medical history and physical exam, and possibly a home-based or lab-based sleep study. Treatment options may includes lifestyle modification, surgery, oral appliances, nasal dilators, and in rare cases, CPAP.

Dr. Norman discusses each treatment option in detail. He advises patients on which approach will be the best one for them. If you snore, call or schedule an appointment online at Santa Monica Sleep Disorders Center. The practice is currently welcoming new patients and accepts most major forms of PPO insurance and Medicare.