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!

Swallowing food comes naturally to human beings. But when there is a problem, it is usually called Dysphagia. Esophagus, a muscular tube-like organ located at the back of our throat, usually helps in swallowing food and transferring them to our stomach. When esophagus does not function properly, dysphagia happens. Patients suffering from brain or nerve disorder, seniors and babies might have this problem. 

People with dysphagia might witness the following issues:

Difficulty in swallowing solids and liquids.
Gaging, choking or coughing usually occurs when trying to swallow.
Experience pain when trying to swallow and also heartburn.
Swallowed food might come back up either through mouth or nose.
A chronic problem might result in weight loss.
Causes:
There are 2 main reasons, why the Esophagus might become dysfunctional.

Due to some medical condition the muscles and nerves that help the esophagus work have stopped working.
The esophagus is blocked by something.
There can be a number of reasons for both the condition. Here are the reasons why the muscles and nerves might not work.
Certain diseases can create problems with your nervous system, which in turn can affect the esophagus. These diseases are polio, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson s disease.

A brain stroke, spinal cord injury or brain injury can also affect swallowing.
Polymyositis or Dermatomyositis are immune system problems that can cause swelling or weakness.
The muscles of esophagus suddenly squeeze, which is called esophagus spasm.
Scleroderma causes the esophagus to become thin and weak.
The esophagus might be blocked because of these reasons:

Esophagus might have malignant or non-malignant tumours.
Esophagitis is a medical condition when the esophagus is infected, got some allergy or even if a pill got stuck on it.
People suffering from reflux diseases often experience the acid that backs up into the esophagus. This can cause an ulcer on it resulting in scars. Scars make Esophagus narrower, making it difficult to swallow.
There are small sacs called Diverticula on the esophagus or the throat, often making it difficult to swallow.
Lymph nodes, tumours, bone spurs can also obstruct esophagus and create difficulty in swallowing.

Difficulty in Swallowing - Are You at Risk of Dysphagia?

Rhinitis is an irritable medical condition where the mucous lining of a person's nose swells up. The term is more of a category and less of a definitive way to describe something specific. Rhinitis involves a host of other conditions that affect the mucous membranes of your nose. If you were not aware, common cold is also a kind of rhinitis. Rhinitis can cause acute touchiness in the inner lining of the nose leading to continuous discharges from one's nose. It can also lead to clogging of your nose or inflammation of the internal tissues. 

Rhinitis can be divided under two main types; allergic and non- allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis, popularly known as hay fever is caused due to contact with allergens that are usually undamaging. However, in case of non- allergic rhinitis the symptoms take after that of the allergic type but no particular causal factor can be identified.

Factors that can increase your propensity to suffer from rhinitis of any kind are:-

Pollen from flowers
Inhaling certain substances can be harmful; smell of certain chemicals is bad too.
Both active as well as passive smoking can be detrimental
High levels of air pollution contributes to the risk
Weather conditions affect your health; a windy yet humid weather can aggravate rhinitis.
Common symptoms of rhinitis can be listed as below:-

A person suffering from this condition might catch a cold all of a sudden.
People, usually little children, might even face high fevers.
Your nose tends to be runny. After the infection subsides, chances of a thick, sticky discharge are more.
Exhaustion is also felt in combination with headaches and teary eyes.
The nature of your nasal discharge tells the doctor if you are suffering from an allergy or from a viral infection.
A few preventive measures to aid you against rhinitis:-

Rhinitis can be communicable and in most cases it is so. Therefore a person should not share his or her utensils and other personal things such as towels or handkerchiefs with any other person.
One should not be in close proximity of another infected person.
Hands are the most common sources of infection. One must wash his or her unclean hands before touching the face.


All about Rhinitis

Hearing is an essential process in everyone's life. Be it your social life or professional activities, hearing influences every aspect of your life. You can thus, never ignore the health of your ears to enjoy a healthy life. But there are several hindrances to obstruct effective hearing. One of the problems is the accumulation of a natural substance called cerumen produced by the glands present in the ear canal. The accumulated cerumen is medically referred to as Earwax. Over production of cerumen is mainly triggered by the deficiency of Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and magnesium.

The basic function of the wax is to protect the ear canal from invasion by foreign particles like bacteria and dust particles. This is necessary for the smooth functioning of the ear and its protection from invaders. However, it becomes an irritating problem when the earwax is produced in excess. The problem aggravates when the ear canal is blocked due to accumulation of earwax. In such cases, we use certain objects such as bobby pins, Q-tips or cotton swabs to clean the accumulated earwax from the ear canal. What we do not realise is that pricking the wax using these objects can sometime cause significant damage to the ear. These objects push the wax deep inside the canal, leading to blockage.

The most common symptoms of excessive earwax are as follows:

Earache
Developing a fullness feeling in the ears
Loss of hearing on temporary basis
Noises inside the ear
Itching
Here are the preventive measures to remove ear wax blockage:

In order to prevent blockage of ear wax, try keeping it moist by frequently running water into your ear while taking a bath. This will prevent the ear wax from getting dried up so that it doesn t get blocked in the ear canal. Make sure, you drain the water from the ear after running it for some time.
Don t use any pointed objects inside the ears as it can cause ear infection while pushing the wax deeper.
Avoid inserting cotton swabs or ear buds into the ear canal. You can use them to remove exposed ear wax at the ear opening, but don t push them deep inside the ear canal. It can push the excess ear wax inside the ear canal, thereby resulting in to an impact.
Don t use candle ear wax remover. Ear candles are another method to remove ear wax, but it can be really dangerous as you need to hold the lighted candle very close to your ear. It can even burn your ear.
Don t use cold water or a strong jet to drain out the excess ear wax. Strong jet can lead to the damage of the ear drum while cold water may result into dizziness.
Avoid using any other method to remove ear wax at home, such as suction.
Don t use any type of acidic liquid in order to soften the ear wax.
Omega 3 fatty acids are good for mitigating the problem of ear wax. So, include walnuts, avocados, salmon, albacore and ground flax seed in your diet.
Consult a doctor if the problem persists even after using home remedies.

 Ear Wax - How To Get Rid It?

Any ailment can cause a breakdown of one's overall well-being due to the onslaught of related symptoms, and sinus problem is no different. Sinusitis refers to inflammation or swelling of the tissue that lines the sinus, which are passages filled with air and lie in the nasal tract. 

Sometimes, these passages get blocked with germs, fluid and other elements that can give rise to infections and allergic reactions. Here are the ways in which this condition can affect your health:

Related ailments: one of the most common outcomes of sinus blockage is common cold, which can happen when the passages do not get proper movement of air. Further, it can also cause allergic rhinitis which is also known as hay fever and comes with its own set of symptoms like a runny nose, blocked nose and ears, watery eyes and other signs. A build-up of nasal polyps can also take place in the blocked path of the sinus, while the nasal cavity can also shift, causing a deviated septum. 

Pain: we have many sinuses that are located in various parts of our head, including the areas above and below the eyes. As a part of the sinus attack, one may experience pain and fluid fullness in these areas. These regions can ache when there is a sinus infection. This pain can also be caused by the dull pressure exerted by inflammation, and the pain can then travel down to jaws, teeth and even between eyes. 

Headaches: the constant pressure and persistent pain in the various areas containing the sinus can lead to long term headaches which will be at their worst in the mornings. This is due to the fact that the fluids have been accumulating throughout the night. These headaches can get worse if there is a change in the temperature. 

Congestion: congestion is also a common symptom of sinus infection. The swollen sinuses can lead to constrictions in the nasal passage, which can obstruct normal breathing. This will lead to congestion, which can also affect the senses of taste and smell. 

Cough and discharge: a patient suffering from a sinus infection may end up blowing his or her nose more often than normal. This will usually happen because a yellowing greenish discharge will drain into the nasal passages on a regular basis during the infection. When this discharge bypasses the nasal tract and reaches the throat, it can also cause persistent coughing. It is best to ask for medical intervention and practice steaming to relive the painful symptoms of this condition.

How Does Sinus Affect Health

Tinnitus is when you think that there is noise when there really is no sound. It is very common and is not very serious either. It affects about 1/5th of the population. It is worth note that tinnitus is not a condition. Instead, it is a symptom of having a condition. These conditions range from hearing loss, an ear injury or even a circulatory system disorder. Even though tinnitus does worsen with age however it can also improve with treatment. If you know the cause of tinnitus, it does help treat it. Here is everything you need to know about tinnitus.

Symptoms of Tinnitus
As mentioned earlier, tinnitus is a ringing, hissing, clicking or buzzing sound which only you can hear and no one else.

Causes of Tinnitus
There are many common causes of tinnitus including:
1. Age-related hearing loss: Tinnitus is commonly caused due to hearing loss.
2. Meniere's disease: Meniere's disease is a type of inner ear disorder. It is when there are abnormalities in the fluid pressure of your inner ear.
3. Medications: Many medications have a side effect of tinnitus as well including certain antibiotics, antidepressants, cancer medications and even aspirin.
4. Loud noise exposure: Exposure to loud noise once in a while will not cause tinnitus. However, constant exposure to loud noise might cause tinnitus.
5. Changes in the shape of your ear bone: Otosclerosis is an abnormal bone growth which results in the bones in your middle ear stiffening.
6. Acoustic neuroma: There is a nerve, which goes from the brain straight to the inner ear. When this nerve develops a tumor, it is known as acoustic neuroma which is a common cause of tinnitus.

Treatment of Tinnitus
Tinnitus can be only be stopped if the underlying condition is treated. However, there are certain electronic devices, which help suppress the noise including:
1. Hearing aids: Hearing aids are already helpful for people who have hearing loss; however they can also help reduce tinnitus.
2. Masking device: Wearing a masking device which continuously emits a low-level noise helps stop the buzzing, clicking, hissing or ringing sound which comes with tinnitus.

Causes and Treatment of Tinnitus

Don't wait any longer, manage your Head and Neck Surgery online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Head and Neck Surgery - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES