Snoring disturbs my sleep. Will mouth guard help?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 34-year-old male. My weight is 231.48 lb. I snore a lot during winters, and it disturbs the sleep of my family as well. I had been trying to lose weight but not successful. I read that mouthguard can help in reducing the snoring. Please advise.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Snoring is a problem that may be associated with other symptoms of sleep apnea. There can be several causes of snoring, which include obstruction right from the nose to the throat. If you do not have other sleep apnea symptoms, snoring may be attended to by simple methods like lying down on the side rather than on the back. Other methods include using a bell or a ball attached to your shirt's back, which alerts you in case you turn to lie on your back. Weight control is important, of course. Then you may need a checkup to rule out any cause of nasal obstruction like deviated septum and to check the status of tonsils. Then there may be certain medicines like sleeping pills which can be causing your symptoms. Even alcohol can cause these symptoms. Yes, there are certain devices like tongue retaining devices which tend to improve symptoms. Do you have any other symptoms?

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

You should go to a sleep specialist or an ENT surgeon for a checkup, and in case he feels there is a requirement, he might ask for a sleep study.