According to pulmonologists, treating snoring involves weight loss and utilizing devices like Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines. Dr. Emmanuel Adesokan, a Consultant Respiratory Physician at University College Hospital, Ibadan, explained that CPAP therapy helps force air into the airway, particularly for overweight individuals who snore at night.

Snoring often indicates an obstruction in the upper airway, commonly caused by excess neck fat in overweight individuals. In children, snoring can result from swelling or malformations in the neck area, often due to infections or congenital conditions.

The respiratory physician, “The effects of snoring, while snoring itself is a symptom of obstruction. include disturbed sleep, fatigue and sleepiness during daytime, and it is associated with developing hypertension and diabetes, among others.

“Snoring usually happens to people who are termed ‘overweight’ and have big necks.“When you have a thick measure neck circumference greater than what it should be, you may likely have an obstruction sleep challenge.

“Owing to the fat on the neck, the person will not have enough air to take in and out or to maintain the body at that time.
“Weight loss is a major modality for treatment because when an individual loses weight, he/she loses the neck fat and is much better.”

Dr. Adesokan noted that for individuals who snore due to their mouth structure, there are oral devices available that can be inserted into the mouth to enable unobstructed airflow, helping to alleviate snoring.

He added, “When weight loss takes a while to achieve, then a CPAP machine can be used when sleeping. It is attached to the mouth and it pushes air into the airway so that the person will not be choked while sleeping.

“However, a sleep study test is important for one to be able to know the appropriate measure to use.”

A Nigerian man died after undergoing surgery in India to address his snoring, at the insistence of his wife. In response to this incident, Dr. Olusola Adeyelu, a sleep and critical care physician, emphasized that surgery is not a recommended treatment for snoring.

Instead, the primary and widely recognized treatment for snoring is the use of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine.

He elaborated , “If you do surgery, you are 96 per cent likely to come back to use a CPAP machine. It was in the olden days when most people did not know the causes of snoring that surgeries were done.

“The only surgery important to solving the snoring problem is called `bariatric surgery’, which is done to reduce the size of the person, not the neck.

“A person may be weighing 160kg and then you reduce it to 90kg. When the neck that used to be 160 is now made to be walking for 90, it will be more efficient.

“So there is no need to go outside the country to do surgery to treat snoring. Anything about snoring treatment can be sorted out in Nigeria, as one can even order the CPAP machine online.”

Adesokan said snoring is mostly about how the air goes out, adding, “It is not usually curable, but one may be lucky to get over it with some lifestyles, such as fulcrum (adjusting the bed to be in a slanting way).

“This is a method of balancing things in a slanting position, whereby you raise the head of the bed with the foam, and the leg part will be lower than the upper part; it is the cheapest and oldest style of solving snoring problem.

“Another way is to lie on your side, while the situation can also improve if one lies on the tummy.”

Dr. Adeyelu starkly compared snoring to a dire prognosis, akin to a cancer diagnosis, and warned that it can have severe consequences for men’s health. He noted that approximately 80% of men who snore experience erectile dysfunction, with some potentially experiencing complete impotence.

he stated, “When you snore, at a point, you stop breathing; if you have other underlying conditions, such as diabetes and kidney malfunction, a wrong electric current can pass through your heart and it stops working, and that ends the whole story about your life.

“Also, women who snore are prone to violence; anybody snoring is not sleeping; the person’s eyes may be permanently closed but he/she is permanently awake and nobody can be permanently awake for many years without having any health damage.

“So many people with high blood pressure could have developed it due to snoring, and if it is not controlled, the person will continue to swallow drugs and still not be okay. So snoring is also a social problem that should not be taken lightly.

“The standard measure for snoring treatment is CPAP; it could be written in the book that surgery could be done but it is outdated now; the treatment is CPAP and other life adjustment solutions.”

Dr. Adeyelu advised that anyone experiencing snoring should consult a sleep specialist or pulmonologist for a thorough evaluation to determine the severity of their condition and receive appropriate guidance and treatment.

She mentioned, “The medical expert will be able to know if the snoring is mild, moderate or severe, and find out if the person has structural problems or not and then determine the appropriate treatment.”