Do You Have Trouble Sleeping?

Other than a lumpy and uncomfortable mattress, pregnancy or feeling generally achy in the muscles, sleep should be easy to come by. You should be able to set up a comfortable sleep space that makes you feel warm, toasty and ready to sink into a deep sleep cycle that sees you through until the morning. You should be waking up rested and ready to take on the day, with your body feeling relaxed and muscles comfortable.

Unfortunately, there are many reasons other than back pain that people cannot sleep or when they do, they cannot sleep very well. Snoring is a pain when you’re dealing with it from a partner, but did you know that snoring could be one of the biggest reasons you’re not resting enough at night? There are a lot of disorders that can happen at night that can affect your sleeping in a big way and below, we’ve put together some of the ailments that can really affect your sleep quality. An appointment with Mountain ENT can help you to put your sleep issues – quite rightly – to rest.

Snoring

It’s one of the most common forms of sleep disrupted breathing and it occurs when the muscles in the throat relax too much during sleep. There is an interruption in the air flow and the airways narrow, with the vibrations creating the sound of snoring. It can be constant or it may happen sporadically. Those at risk of snoring fall into the following categories:

• Overweight
• Large tonsils and adenoids blocking the throat
• Consumption of alcohol
• Sinus conditions

An experienced ear, nose and throat doctor with Mountain ENT can help you to diagnose and treat your snoring issue, because snoring is more often than not, down to an underlying condition with the ear, nose and throat. It’s not easy to deal with an obstruction in the air movement, but you can get the right help and treatment to lead to a better life of the individual suffering. Treatment can include things like a referral for snoring surgery, wedges for the bed to elevate you so that you aren’t lying flat and even mouth guards to help reposition the jaw.

Sleep apnea

Most people don’t think to seek the help of an ENT when it comes to sleep apnea, but they should. It’s caused by a collapse in the airway that lasts for more than 10 seconds at a time, meaning that you stop breathing entirely while you’re asleep. Given that you need to breathe to live, it makes perfect sense to seek the help of an ear, nose and throat doctor. They will start with the restoration of proper breathing during the day and the night and sometimes this can help you without the use of special treatments or devices. You’ll have an examination and possibly some imaging done to get a look at your airways. The nasal passages and sinuses will be examined and your tonsils and adenoids will also be checked to see if that’s why your breathing is obstructed.

Sinus issues

Chronic sinusitis plays a huge part in your issues sleeping. Congestion and drainage issues aren’t exactly conducive to a good rest and the primary symptoms of chronic sinusitis may not always be obvious to you. These include:

• Nasal congestion
• Stuffiness throughout the day
• Mouth breathing
• Snoring – bad snoring

You can also experience anosmia and loss of taste – which is the worst part because this can take time to come back after you get over a cold or sinus infection. Chronic sinus issues can be alleviated with a trip to Mountain ENT because we can treat it. It’s more difficult than bacterial sinusitis, as over time, the bacteria become rather immune to antibiotics. However, you could require a prescription of steroids to rid the infection or even in some cases, sinus cleaning. This involves balloon sinus dilation to wash out the sinuses under local anesthesia.

Keeping cool while you sleep can really help you to sleep better. Especially if you have trouble staying asleep once you get there. Your bed or pillow being elevated can help to keep respiratory passages open. Staying elevated in a room that is temperate and the right pillows and blankets can help you to sleep better, but speaking to the professionals at Mountain ENT can help you to rule out any snoring and sinus trouble that could be interrupting your beauty sleep. At Mountain ENT, we can help you to sleep better and you can give us a call on one of the following numbers:

• Sylva: 828-586-7474
• Franklin: 828-524-5599
• Murphy: 828-835-1014
• Asheville: 828-458-8100