1.INTRODUCTION:

Habitual snoring is common in middle aged humans. About 16% of men and 7% of women are habitual snorers [1]. Snoring is believed to be due to a turbulence of air in the nasopharynx leading to palatouvular vibration which causes the snoring sound. An important underlying cause of snoring is increased upper airway resistance and consequent disturbance in movement of inspired air. The disorder manifests during night when there is abnormal muscle tone decrease in the uvula and soft palate [4].

Recent studies have found that cardiovascular disorders and respiratory inflammatory disease also causes snoring [6].

Received on 13.06.2015 Modified on 24.06.2015

Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 8(8): August, 2015; Page 1109-1115

DOI: 10.5958/0974-360X.2015.00194.8

Most frequently associated with snoring are enlargement of cervical lymph nodes, respiratory infections, increased mucous secretion, ageing, chronic bronchitis, smoking, exposure to pets and allergy. Other less common reasons include upper airway wall swelling due to allergy, adenoid tissue hypertrophy, lingual hypertrophy, deformation disorders within osseous, membranous or muscular structure. Adipose tissue pressure on throat due to obesity, disorders of mastication apparatus and endocrinological disease are rare causes.

Snoring is usually accompanied by the following symptoms: poor sleep quality (sleep fragmentation and resultant sleep deprivation that may occur due to waking up at night owing to narrowed airway and in turn breathlessness), daytime sleepiness, morning sore throat, uvular swelling and mouth dryness or choking sensation [5].

In its social aspect, snoring is often troublesome to the bed partner and frequently leads to conflicts.

A common respiratory disease which affects the day to day life of many people is obstructive lung disease. It may be caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Both these diseases worsen at night due to circadian variation in pulmonary function, increased parasympathetic stimulation at night, secretion of hormones and influence of other health problems such as gastroesophagal reflux disease. Asthma is characterized by coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, dyspnoea that worsens at night [3]. COPD is associated with long standing inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious gases, dust particles, cigarette smoking etc. and diseases like bronchitis and emphysema. Productive cough for at least three months a year indicate that the patient has chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is characterized by patchy destruction of lungs and pockets of mucoid secretion [2].

Snoring thus can be reduced or abolished if the reason behind is diagnosed and treated. Treatment modalities include treating the respiratory disease using antibiotics, reduction in body weight, exercise, sleep hygiene (avoiding alcohol, change in body position), orthopedic treatment to prevent falling back of tongue, forward movement of mandible, nasopharyngeal tube, CPAP etc.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A questionnaire based survey was conducted among 100 people who snore and 100 people who do not snore. The questionnaire was prepared in such a way that it covered questions pertaining to in-depth details like type of snoring, occurrence of respiratory disease or their symptoms, smoking habits, intake of alcohol or medicinal drugs, sleep habits, fitness, exercise etc. It included a total of 29 questions. The results are compiled in the form of a Column Bar Chart for analytical purposes.

RESULTS:

The research aimed to find out, if respiratory disease were more among the snorers. The following results were found from the conducted survey:

Snoring:

Among the hundred people who were snorers in the research, 18 people where occasional snorers and most of them are aware of snoring for past 1 or 2 years. Persistent snorers were about 71 out of 100 people and their problem have persisted for about 2 to 10 years. The last group where heroic snorers usually affect their bed partner. Snoring had become habitual in their lives since if it had lasted for more than 10 years. This may be due to ageing where there is natural relaxation of throat muscles.

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Sleep habits

Figure 4

In people having respiratory disease there is a tendency that their nose may be blocked due to mucous secretion. In these cases there may be difficulty in breathing. To overcome this people may breathe through their mouth. Dry mouth while waking up is an evidence for breathing through the mouth. Also since there is a disturbance in breathing people toss around to get better ventilation during sleep. When the signs are severe they tend to wake up gasping for breath. This is called sleep apnea. Due to these problems they have inadequate quality sleep which may affect their daytime activities. This is proved by the rise in number of people having less than 5 hours of sleep among the snorers.

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Obesity:

In case of obesity where the body fat content is more, the fat gets accumulated in the tissues around the tonsils and may narrow the air passage. Hence obese people are more susceptible to snoring.

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Allergy

Allergy can cause increase in mucus secretion and inflammation of tonsils.

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Drugs, Alcohol:

Drugs, alcohol have sedating effects on the body thus relaxing muscles lining the airway.

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Stress:

Stress can lead to release of hormones like growth hormone, cortisol, norepinephrine etc. that can change our sleep patterns. Also stress is said to lead to weight gain.

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Smoking:

Smoking can lead to damage of the entire respiratory system and also the immune system. It leads to loss of cilia, mucous gland hypertrophy, inflammation, secretory congestion etc. This can in-turn narrow the airways. Its action on immune system increases allergic responses and also gives way for pathogens to act on the respiratory tract.

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Respiratory Diseases:

Respiratory disease can damage the air tract, can increase mucus secretion, and can cause inflammatory response. This will lead to narrowing of airway and hence snoring.

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Figure – 27

DISCUSSION:

Even though there is a belief that snoring is related to respiratory disease, according to the data collected, there is no significant difference between the snorers and non-snorers. But snoring was found to be more frequent among people who regularly consume alcohol. Also there was no prevalence of wheezing among the non-snorers. Thus wheezing may lead to snoring. The number overweight or obese people were also greater among snorers. The influences of drugs, stress level seem to play a role in decreased muscle tone during sleeping and hence are significantly higher among the snorers. Snorers are found to have difficulty in breathing through the nose more frequently than the non snorers. And hence, mouth breathing especially during the day may lead to snoring while sleeping. The snorers were also found to have less amount of sleep since they wake up more often at night than the non snorers. Hence from above analysis it is concluded that respiratory symptoms are more frequent among the snorers [Figure 27].

Abbreviations:

COPD – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

CPAP – Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Author sincerely thanks Dr. Gowri Sethu, Professor and Head, Department of Physiology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, for her kind help in analyzing the data of the present study. She would also like to thank Mr. G. Mohan, Junior Works Manager, Ministry of Defense, for assisting in preparation of Charts and Article Formatting.

REFERENCE:

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2) Snoring – The Role of The Laryngologist In Diagnosing And Treating Its Causes E. Dzieciolowska-Baran, A. Gawlikowska-Sroka, F. Czerwinski. Eur J Med Res (2009) 14 (Suppl. IV): 67-70.

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