Snoring Treatment in Amman: Doctors and Clinics

Treating snoring starts with understanding where it comes from. Snoring is the sound produced when soft tissues in the upper airway vibrate during sleep as the airway narrows and airflow becomes turbulent. The site of narrowing differs between individuals: the nose, because of a deviated septum, enlarged turbinates or polyps; the soft palate and uvula; the base of the tongue; the tonsils; or a small, set-back lower jaw.

The most important step before any treatment is distinguishing simple snoring from obstructive sleep apnoea, because the latter is a medical condition affecting the heart, blood pressure and concentration, and its severity is not measured by how loud the noise is. Features that call for a sleep study include witnessed pauses in breathing, night-time gasping or choking, daytime sleepiness including dozing while sitting or driving, morning headache, blood pressure that is hard to control, and night-time heart rhythm disturbance. A sleep study is what turns an impression into a diagnosis.

Treatment is built on cause and severity. General measures include weight reduction where relevant, avoiding sleeping on the back, avoiding alcohol and sedatives before bed, regular sleep timing, and treating nasal obstruction and allergy. In moderate to severe sleep apnoea, continuous positive airway pressure is the primary treatment. Mandibular advancement devices help selected patients. Surgery such as septoplasty, turbinate reduction, palate and uvula procedures and tonsillectomy is considered according to the site of narrowing demonstrated on examination.

The limits stated plainly: palate surgery may reduce the loudness of snoring but is not a guaranteed treatment for sleep apnoea, and silence does not mean the breathing pauses have gone. Success is therefore not judged by a bed partner's report alone but by repeating the sleep study where indicated. Nasal surgery does not replace positive airway pressure for someone who needs it, although it may improve tolerance of the mask. Weight loss improves the condition but does not remove the need for assessment when symptoms are significant.

A myth worth correcting: snoring is not evidence of deep sleep or good health, and in significant cases it is not treated by herbal sprays, nasal strips or mouth exercises alone. Suitability for any treatment, particularly surgery, is determined by clinical examination, airway endoscopy and the sleep study result, not by how loud the snoring is.