How are Sinus Issues and Snoring Related?
- Posted on: May 21 2019
Patients often come to our office with multiple complaints. The may say their first issue is that they have had nasal congestion issues and sinus issue for years and they want a solution.
Separately they may report that they have snoring issues that are bothering the bed partner. What they may not realize is that these two issues are intimately related and that the resolution of the sinus issue may improve or resolve the snoring issue.
Causes of Snoring
One of the main causes of snoring is the constriction of the nasal airway. When a patient breathes through a congested or constricted nasal airway, the airflow becomes faster and more turbulent. This fast and turbulent air reaches the back of the nose and it vibrates the soft palate and the tongue base. This vibration produces the snoring sound.
If they have a congested nasal airway, they also tend to mouth breathe at night time. The open mouth posture allows the mobile jaw and tongue to more easily fall back into the airway and hit the back of the throat. This accentuates the snoring. The mouth breathing also dries out the mucus membranes making them stickier and louder when they vibrate. The dehydration of the tongue can also cause the tongue to enlarge over time. This results in a greater degree of tongue base snoring.
Sinus And Snoring Treatment
In our office, we evaluate the patient with two painless diagnostic techniques to fully understand the nasal airway and the condition of the sinuses. A high definition nasal endoscopy and a miniCT scan of the sinuses are critical to understand what is causing the chronic nasal and sinus issues and offer a solution.
The good news is that modern office balloon sinuplasty procedures can easily correct the longstanding nasal and sinus issues with minimal to no downtime. Even better this may also reduce or eliminate your snoring as well.
Schedule A Consultation
If you have nasal and sinus issues and also have a bed partner concerned about your snoring come for a consultation today for a solution to both issues. Contact us at 512.601.0303 to schedule an appointment!
Tagged with: Balloon Sinuplasty, Snoring
Posted in: Sinus and Nasal, Snoring
