Get the sleep you deserve

Anti-Snoring Treatments in Leeds

Snoring can be highly debilitating for the sufferer as well as those around them.

What is snoring?

Your neck muscles tend to relax during sleep. With many people, these muscles relax too much causing a closure in your airway temporarily reducing the oxygen to your body. The neck muscles and soft palette of the mouth can collapse creating the common sound known as snoring.

The following conditions can affect the airway and cause snoring:

Your mouth anatomy. Having a low, thick soft palate can narrow your airway. People who are overweight may have extra tissues in the back of their throats that may narrow their airways. Likewise, if the triangular piece of tissue hanging from the soft palate (uvula) is elongated, airflow can be obstructed and vibration increased.
Alcohol consumption. Snoring can also be brought on by consuming too much alcohol before bedtime. Alcohol relaxes throat muscles and decreases your natural defenses against airway obstruction.
Nasal problems. Chronic nasal congestion or a crooked partition between your nostrils (deviated nasal septum) may contribute to your snoring.
Sleep deprivation. Not getting enough sleep can lead to further throat relaxation.
Sleep position. Snoring is typically most frequent and loudest when sleeping on the back as gravity’s effect on the throat narrows the airway.

What kind of issues can I have from snoring?

What do you offer at your Leeds clinic for snoring?

We offer our patients a “mandibular advancement device” which in simple terms moves your lower jaw further forward than your top jaw. This has the effect of keeping your soft palate open and allowing air to pass through much easier. It can be a suitable alternative to the facemask and positive pressure machines, such as CPAP, that many people are advised to sleep with.

Studies have shown that the CPAP is more effective than Mandibular advancement splints for reducing the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), but compliance (continued willingness to wear) is better with the splints. People are able to use the splints for longer and the splints are superior to CPAP on several quality-of-life domains. In short, it may be worth trying the splints as they may work well for you and may be worth having as an alternative to the bulky machine and facemask particularly for holidays or times away from home.

Why do we snore?

Snoring is the sound made from the vibrations of the tongue, throat, mouth or nasal passages as the sleeper breathes. These parts of the body relax during sleep and can become narrower as a result.

Some people are more prone to snoring than others. If you are overweight, smoke or drink a lot of alcohol then one or more of these can all lead to loud snoring. Even if you just sleep on your back, then this alone can result in snoring. Some people who suffer from the condition called sleep apnoea will also snore; this is when the airway becomes temporarily blocked during the sleep pattern.