Feeling tired and don\u2019t know why? Maybe it\u2019s because you\u2019ve been snoring. Yes, you! It may not be your spouse\u2019s snoring that\u2019s keeping you up. Maybe it\u2019s your own.<\/p>\n
Dr. Ted Benke who is an otolaryngologist\u2014more commonly referred to as an ENT or ear, nose and throat doctor, says snoring is an indication of obstructed breathing and shouldn\u2019t be taken lightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to find out where the encumbrance may be and then find a solution to it,\u201d Benke said. \u201cSure snoring can be embarrassing, but that\u2019s not the real problem. The medical reason a person should seek help for problem snoring is because it disturbs sleeping patterns and deprives the snorer of sufficient rest. When snoring is severe, it can cause serious, long-term health problems, including obstructive sleep apnea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Benke said obstructive sleep apnea is loud snoring that is interrupted by frequent episodes of totally obstructed breathing. Serious episodes last more than 10 seconds and occur more than seven times per hour, which can amount to 30-300 events per night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem with sleep apnea is that these episodes can reduce blood oxygen levels, causing the heart to pump harder,\u201d he said. \u201cThe immediate effect is that the snorer must sleep lightly and keep his muscles tense in order to keep airflow to the lungs, so unfortunately, the snorer doesn\u2019t get a good rest and becomes sleepy during the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
That lack of sleep may impair the snorer\u2019s job performance and make him a dangerous driver or equipment operator.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter many years with untreated sleep apnea, the snorer may have elevated blood pressure and heart enlargement may occur.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heavy snorers, those who snore in any position or are disruptive to the family, should seek medical advice to ensure that sleep apnea is not a problem.<\/p>\n
Benke can provide a thorough examination of the nose, mouth, throat, palate and neck and can order a sleep study in a laboratory environment to determine how serious the snoring is and what effects it has on the snorer\u2019s overall health.<\/p>\n
\u201cTreatments depend on the diagnosis,\u201d Benke said. \u201cWe\u2019ll look to see if snoring is caused by a nasal allergy, infection, deformity or the tonsils and adenoids and treat it accordingly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe important thing is that people get it checked out\u2014that they take it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said snoring is more common than you might think. About 45 percent of adults snore, and 25 percent are habitual snorers. It is more common in men than women and it\u2019s also more prevalent in overweight people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt usually gets worse with age, too, so I guess there\u2019s some truth to the old nursery rhyme: \u2018The old man is snoring,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Benke said airway obstruction caused by enlarged tonsils and adenoids can also be a problem with children.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a real issue in children,\u201d Benke said. \u201cIf they snore, then their quality of sleep is diminished, and we see a relationship between airway obstruction in children and ADHD and poor school performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Research has shown that the tonsils of children, aged 2-7, can regularly become enlarged, and because a child\u2019s throat is narrow, the swelling can often partially block their airway. This can lead to a disruption in the child\u2019s breathing, either during the day, or at night, causing snoring, sleep apnea, difficulty awakening, headaches, even bedwetting.<\/p>\n
If you think you or your child may have a snoring problem, call Benke Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic today for an evaluation at 817-641-3750.<\/p>\n
Benke Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic treats a variety of childhood problems including chronic ear infections and hearing loss, sinusitis and allergies (including RAST blood allergy testing) and facial and neck lesions and tumors. Benke ENT also offers audiology services, including for infants and children, diagnostic hearing tests, a complete line of hearing aids and evaluation and treatment for vertigo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Feeling tired and don\u2019t know why? Maybe it\u2019s because you\u2019ve been snoring. Yes, you! It may not be your spouse\u2019s snoring that\u2019s keeping you up. Maybe it\u2019s your own. Dr. Ted Benke who is an otolaryngologist\u2014more commonly referred to as an ENT or ear, nose and throat doctor, says snoring is an indication of obstructed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Snoring is an indication of obstructed breathing and shouldn\u2019t be taken lightly.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-snore"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drbenke.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drbenke.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drbenke.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drbenke.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drbenke.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drbenke.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4965\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drbenke.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drbenke.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drbenke.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}