The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.
Medical history questions documenting snoring in detail may include:
- quality
- Is it loud?
- Does it occur when the person is in any position?
- Does it occur only when they are in a particular position?
- Is the snoring irregular?
- Can the snoring be heard by the person who snores (that is, does the sound of their snoring cause them to wake up)?
- time pattern
- Does it occur every night?
- How often does snoring occur?
- Is snoring persistent during the night?
- Does the person snore 1 or 2 times per minute during snoring episodes?
- other
- What other symptoms are also present?
- Is there a period of breath holding?
- Are there episodes of not breathing?
- Does the person have headaches?
- Does the person have difficulty sleeping?
The physical examination may include an investigation into sleep patterns. Referral to a sleep specialist (for sleep studies) may be needed.
Treatment includes:
- Weight loss
- Avoid Alcohol
- Use of Nasal Dilator strips (e.g., Breathe-rite strips)
- Dental appliances to prevent tongue from falling back
- Surgical correction of nasal obstruction (e.g., correction of deviated septum)
- Palatoplasty -- stiffening of the palate using surgery or injection
- Use CPAP mask (devise which you wear while sleeping on the nose to decrease snoring and sleep apnea)
Your physician may prescribe one or more treatment options.
After seeing your health care provider:
You may want to add a diagnosis related to snoring to your personal medical record.
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