Snoring: Not That Funny

It is a staple of old cartoons, fairy tales, and modern sitcoms: the husband who roars like a buzz saw through the night, inconveniencing everyone else with his upper respiratory howl.

But snoring and obstructive sleep apnea get a lot less funny when you consider them from a medical perspective, including a look at the many health issues which can arise from this kind of labored and halting breathing.

One recent article took the notion of Sleepy Dwarf as an example of a patient case study, noting that this kind of perpetual drowsiness is diagnostic, and cause for concern.

What can be done for the sleepy dwarves and giants of the world? When CPAP doesn’t work, the next option may be a surgical correction to reduce the amount of loose tissue that can cover the airway:

The diagnosis of sleep apnea is usually made in a sleep laboratory with instruments that monitor heart, lungs, brain and blood gases. After the diagnosis is made, the condition can be readily corrected with the use of a nasal instrument that can deliver a continuous, positive air stream to the throat. This procedure, known as CPAP, eliminates snoring and improves oxygen going to the brain. If this treatment is not successful, excess tissue can be removed from the back of the throat with laser surgery.

If you or someone you love is a chronic snorer, it’s a serious problem. Contact the Los Angeles Sinus Institute to get treated for obstructive sleep apnea right away.