Snoring is the harsh or hoarse sound that occurs when air passes through the relaxed throat tissues   this causes vibration in the tissues as you breathe. Almost everyone snores now and then, but it can be a chronic problem for some people. Sometimes, snoring could also indicate an underlying health condition. 

Causes

Several factors, such as the anatomy of your mouth and sinuses, a cold, and certain allergies, can cause snoring. When you fall in a deep sleep, the muscles in the roof of your tongue, throat, and mouth relax just enough to block your airways partially, causing them to vibrate. The narrower the airways, the more forceful the airflow. This increases vibration in the tissues and prompts you to snore louder.

Besides, there are certain risk factors that increase your chances of snoring. These include  

Gender   men rather than women are more likely to snore

Being overweight   people with excessive body weight are susceptible to obstructive sleep apnoea, which is characterized by snoring

Drinking alcohol   as it relaxes the throat muscles and increases your chances of snoring

Nasal problems   a structural defect in the airways, like deviated septum puts you at a higher risk of snoring

Symptoms 

Snoring is linked to Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, a common sleep disorder. However, not everyone who snores has OSA. If snoring is accompanied by the following symptoms, you may be at risk of OSA. So watch out for these signs  

Breathing pauses while asleep

Feeling sleepy during the day

Morning headaches

Difficulty concentrating

Restless sleep

Waking up with a sore throat

Choking or gasping at night

Chest pain at night

A rise in the blood pressure

Make an appointment with your doctor if you encounter the above symptoms, as they may suggest that your snoring is associated with OSA. In the case of children, talk to a specialist about throat and nose problems   these can cause your child to develop obstructive sleep apnoea. 

Diagnosis 

The first step of diagnosis involves the doctor going through your medical history and reviewing the signs. He/she may also perform a physical examination. 

Next, your doctor may suggest an imaging test, like CT scan, MRI, or X-ray to check the structure of your airways.

Depending on the seriousness of snoring and the related symptoms, you might be advised for a sleep study. A sleep study involves performing an in-depth analysis of breathing while you are asleep. You will be connected to multiple sensors and kept under observation overnight. 

A sleep study records the following information  

Oxygen level in the blood

Brain waves

Heart rate

Breathing rate

Leg and eye movements

Sleep stages

Treatment 

Your doctor will most likely recommend lifestyle changes to treat snoring.

Lose weight

Avoid drinking alcohol before going to bed

Treat nasal congestion

Avoid sleep deprivation

Avoid sleeping on your back

If snoring is caused due to obstructive sleep apnoea, you may be suggested the following  

Oral Appliances - These help advance the position of your tongue, jaw and the soft palate to open up your air passage.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure   This involves putting up a mask over the mouth or nose while sleeping. The mask releases pressurized air from a tiny pump to the airways to keep it open when you are asleep.

Upper Airway Surgery   This refers to a number of procedures, like Maxillomandibular Advancement, Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, and Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation that work to open the upper airways and prevent its narrowing using a variety of techniques. 

Snoring can be a problem for those who experience it, and a nuisance to others around them. Make sure you get yourself checked by an ENT and seek treatment for the same before it leads to a severe health complication.

All You Must Know About Snoring & Its Complications!

Acute sinusitis (acute rhinosinusitis) causes your nasal passages (sinuses) to become inflamed and swollen. This interferes with drainage and causes mucus to build up. It is difficult to breathe, area around your eyes and face may be swollen. Acute sinusitis is most often caused by the common cold. Other triggers are allergies, bacterial and fungal infections.

These self-help steps can help relieve sinusitis symptoms:
1. Get good rest. This will help your body fight infection and speed recovery.
2. Drink plenty of fluids: Like, water or juice. This will help dilute mucous secretions and promote drainage. Avoid beverages that contain caffeine or alcohol, as they can be dehydrating. 
3. Sleep with your head elevated. This will help your sinuses drain, reducing congestion.
4. Moisten your sinus cavities: Drape a towel over your head as you breathe in the vapour from a bowl of hot water. Or take a hot shower. This will help ease pain and help mucus drain.
5. Apply warm compresses to your face. Place warm, damp towels around your nose, cheeks and eyes to ease facial pain.

Click on consult privately to ask me any questions regarding Sinus or other ENT-related issues.

From Lybrate: If you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones.

Top 5 Sinus-Relief Home Remedies 

What is Sore Throat?
A sore or dry throat is an unhealthy and painful scratchy feeling inside the throat which is coupled with pain while swallowing and can cause really bad irritation. A sore throat usually resolves on its own because it is a mild health problem.

Causes of Sore Throat-
A sore throat is caused by many important risk factors. Let us have a look at some of them:

Viral infection: It is the most common cause of a sore throat and several viruses are present which can result in a sore throat of many intensities.
Toxins like cigarettes, smoke or pollution can also lead to an acute sore throat because of the unhealthy chemicals present in these things.
A bad injury or infection in the throat can lead to a chronic sore throat. Sometimes when people should loudly for long periods also result in a sore throat because the tissues burn away of tear apart.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease also causes a sore throat when the acid from the stomach retreats back to the esophageal tract.
The development of cancer cells or tumor results in a sore throat and blocks the entire throat tract.
Treating a Sore Throat:
Sore throats are easily curable and sometimes they tend to go away on their own. Let us have a close look at the remedies:

Gargling with warm salt-water will hell you to get rid of sore throat because saltwater helps to wash away the viruses and germs.
Honey mixed in tea is an excellent detoxifier and helps your body and throat to get rid of the unnecessary foreign objects stuck in the tract.
Consuming fenugreek also helps in killing the bacterias which are causing the sore throat.
Chamomile tea is a proven relief during throat sores. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant abilities that help the throat to get relief and heal overtime.
Drink warm water or liquids which will constantly keep the throat wet and warm leading to the decline of the bacterias present.
Antibiotics can also be taken for 5-6 days if you think no other remedy is working in the right way. However, try not to give antibiotics to children of young age and stick to home remedies. 

Sore Throat - What Causes It?

Allergies and the common cold afflict everyone. Every person comes down with either of these or both multiple times a year. Children, adults and the elderly all are equally vulnerable to both these minor ailments. And one of the chief complaints of both is a sore throat. But, how can you tell whether your painful throat is a result of an allergy or a cold? Read on to know more.

How are Allergies and Common Cold Similar?

Sore throat is not the only commonality between cold and allergies. There will be other similar symptoms as well.

  A runny and itchy nose

  Coughing

  Sneezing

  Blocked nose

  Painful sinuses

  Postnasal drip

  Conjunctivitis

That is why similar symptoms like sore throat and all the rest make it very hard to tell allergies and a common cold apart.

Can you tell the Difference between Sore throat caused Common Cold or Allergies?

There are a few questions that you will have to ask yourself to find the answer to whether your sore throat is triggered by cold or allergy.

  How did your sore throat manifest itself? Have you been feeling it coming for quite a while now? Maybe, your throat has been feeling itchy for a few days before a full-blown painful throat came along. Or did it start suddenly without a warning? If it is the former, then it is a case of a common cold. But the latter is possibly an effect of allergies.

  If other symptoms are periodic, that is they manifest at certain times of the day like early in the morning or during sunset, your sore throat could be because of allergies. But if the other symptoms last all day, then your sore throat owes its origin to the common cold.

  Are you feverish? Does your thermometer register an above normal body temperature? Then it is a case of a common cold. Allergies do not trigger a fever.

  Have your sore throat and other symptoms started abating in six or seven days? Then it is possibly common cold. The duration of allergies lasts much longer. Or they come and go   depends on the presence of allergens in the air. Treatment for the two kinds of sore throat Common cough and cold have no cure. Your doctor will suggest paracetamol to help manage the symptoms of the common cold and this will bring relief from a sore throat as well. Allergies can be treated with antihistamines. Talk to your doctor who will recommend the necessary medicines.

A sore throat can be a very painful and annoying problem. It could be triggered by both allergies and the common cold. However, there are medicines that can help with both.

How To Tell If A Sore Throat Is From An Allergy Or A Cold?

Our ears are small in size, but  big  in the work they do. Not only do they help us hear, but also help us maintain our body s balance. They thus help us stand, walk, drive you just name it.

Ears are also much bigger in size than they actually are. The part of the ear that we see on our head is only the external ear, there is a middle ear and an inner ear too, silently carrying out complex functions related to hearing and balance. The middle ear that lies behind your ear drum is the seat of balance. And this part is hit hard at the time of an ear infection.

Ear infections cause the Eustachian tubes   small tubes that connect the middle ear to the back of your throat   to become swollen and blocked due to excess mucus. As a result of this, fluid builds up and inflammation takes root in the middle ear, thereby causing pain.

Ear infections can be acute or chronic. Acute infections clear up in a few days, but chronic ones reoccur frequently. If not managed, chronic ear infections can cause permanent damage to the middle and inner ear.

Causes of Eustachian tube blockage are as follows:

Allergies
Sinus infection
Cold
Extreme production of mucus
Smoking
Infected adenoid, which is a tissue near your tonsils that traps harmful bacteria and viruses
There are a few risk factors associated with ear infections. It can be said that young children are more susceptible to these infections. This is because their Eustachian tubes are short and narrow. It has also been seen that infants who are bottle-fed have a higher incidence of ear infections than breastfed babies.

Other risk factors are:

Changes in altitude
Changes in climate
Exposure to tobacco smoke
Use of pacifiers
Symptoms of ear infections:

Pain or discomfort inside the ear
A prolonged feeling of pressure inside the ear
Pus-like ear drainage
Hearing loss
What is also important to know is that the symptoms of an ear infection come and go. 

Symptoms can also occur in one or both ears. Chronic ear infection symptoms can be less noticeable than those of acute ear infections.

Hence, fever and ear ache should spur you to see a doctor. You should be extremely careful with babies younger than six months who have fever or ear infection symptoms.

Your doctor will diagnose an ear infection by checking if there is a draining of fluid from the middle ear, perforation in the eardrum or a collapsed eardrum.

Sometimes, ear infections can lead to the following serious complications:

Hearing loss
Speech or language delay in children
An infection in a skull bone called mastoiditis
Meningitis
Ruptured ear drum

Causes And Symptoms Of Ear Infections

Are you suffering from a sore throat that is prolonged in nature? Although, a sore throat is not very severe, being prolonged in nature indicates that it is chronic. You should not ignore a sore throat that does not heal over a long period of time. This might be an indication of a serious problem, and you will require proper diagnosis.

When is a sore throat termed as chronic?

A sore throat may take various forms. It can be itchy, burning, scratchy in nature, and can also cause difficulty in swallowing food.
It is likely for a sore throat to be accompanied by a form of pesky cough that leads to further irritation of the throat.
Sore throats can also occur from common colds and several viruses. These usually resolve on their own.
However, when your sore throat is persistent and you cannot find relief, it is referred to as a chronic sore throat. The primary cause of sore throat includes strep throat, allergies, tonsillitis or the infection of your tonsils, inhaling air pollutants, influenza, cigarette smoking, and inhaling via the mouth.
Among these conditions, strep throat and tonsillitis may turn into severe problems, if not treated properly.
Smoking is a major cause of chronic sore throat. You should control your smoking to eliminate these sore throat symptoms.
Snoring is also a major cause for sore throat.
Relief from chronic sore throat
No matter what is the cause of your chronic throat pain, or sore throat is, you should follow some steps and undertake simple home remedies for soothing your scratchy, itchy and painful throat. Some of them include the following:

Do hot water steam inhalation daily, which will help
You must stay well hydrated and should moisten your throat by drinking lots of fluids throughout the day. You should add honey to warm drinks and hot tea.
You may take over the counter pain relievers.
You should install a humidifier in your home for preventing dry air that causes irritation to your throat.
You may try gargling regularly with warm water and salt, at least twice a day.
It is difficult to diagnose the exact cause of a sore throat, but when it worsens or does not tend to leave, something serious is indicated. You must consult a doctor and undertake a physical examination of your throat in order to detect the cause.

Prolonged Sore Throat - Can It Be Chronic?

Don't wait any longer, manage your ENT Specialist online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for ENT Specialist - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES