Treatment for snoring. Combined weight loss, sleeping on side, and nasal spray.

OBJECTIVE We sought to find a combination of noninvasive treatments for snoring by adding weight loss to previously studied treatments, including the combination of sleeping on one's side and using a decongestant nasal spray. STUDY POPULATION Twenty asymptomatic men who snore heavily were studied previously on a control night and on a night when they slept on their side and used a nasal spray. With these two treatments, minor improvements in apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) were seen, but no improvement occurred in snoring frequency. Nineteen of these subjects subsequently completed a 6-month weight loss program, and 12 lost weight. These 19 subjects comprise the study population of this report. STUDY DESIGN At the conclusion of the weight loss program, a repeated sleep study was done from which the effect of adding weight loss to the two previously studied treatments could be assessed. RESULTS Those 12 subjects who lost any amount of weight showed a very mild reduction in snores per hour from 328 using two modalities of treatment to 232 per hour with the addition of weight loss (p = 0.15). The nine subjects who lost > or = 3 kg reduced the number of snores per hour from 320 to 176 (p = 0.0496). Three subjects losing an average of only 7.6 kg showed virtual elimination of snoring after weight loss. Subjects who gained weight had no improvement in snoring. Weight loss added to the other two modalities of treatment had no effect on the AHI. CONCLUSION In most cases, the combination of weight loss, sleeping on one's side, and the administration of a nasal decongestant significantly reduces the frequency of snoring in asymptomatic men who snore heavily. The major effect appears to be related to weight loss.

[1]  J. Dankert,et al.  Letter: Cross-reaction of human serum-proteins with HBsAg. , 1974, Lancet.

[2]  J. Elwood,et al.  Letter: Fetal viability. , 1975, Lancet.

[3]  M. B. Cutlip,et al.  A nomograph method for assessing body weight. , 1976, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[4]  F. Cirignotta,et al.  Some epidemiological data on snoring and cardiocirculatory disturbances. , 1980, Sleep.

[5]  F. Cirignotta,et al.  Some cineradiographic aspects of snoring and obstructive apneas. , 1980, Sleep.

[6]  A. J. Block,et al.  Sleep Apnea, Hypopnea and Oxygen Desaturation in Normal Subjects: A Strong Male Predominance , 1980 .

[7]  ColinE. Sullivan,et al.  REVERSAL OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNOEA BY CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE APPLIED THROUGH THE NARES , 1981, The Lancet.

[8]  A. J. Block,et al.  The effect of weight loss on sleep-disordered breathing and oxygen desaturation in morbidly obese men. , 1982, Chest.

[9]  E. Phillipson,et al.  The treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Separating the wheat from the chaff. , 1983, The American review of respiratory disease.

[10]  S. Fujita.  UPPP for sleep apnea and snoring. , 1984, Ear, nose, & throat journal.

[11]  D. Fairbanks.  Effect of Nasal Surgery on Snoring , 1985, Southern medical journal.

[12]  P. L. Smith,et al.  Weight loss in mildly to moderately obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea. , 1985, Annals of internal medicine.

[13]  M. Partinen,et al.  SNORING AND CEREBRAL INFARCTION , 1985, The Lancet.

[14]  J. Kaprio,et al.  SNORING AS A RISK FACTOR FOR HYPERTENSION AND ANGINA PECTORIS , 1985, The Lancet.

[15]  A T Thornton,et al.  The effects of posture on obstructive sleep apnea. , 2015, The American review of respiratory disease.

[16]  W. B. Webb,et al.  Sleep-disordered breathing and its concomitants in a subclinical population. , 1986, Sleep.

[17]  H. Sugerman,et al.  Gastric surgery for respiratory insufficiency of obesity. , 1986, Chest.

[18]  L. Findley,et al.  Changes in breathing and the pharynx after weight loss in obstructive sleep apnea. , 1987, Chest.

[19]  A. J. Block,et al.  Snoring, nocturnal hypoxemia, and the effect of oxygen inhalation. , 1987, Chest.

[20]  V. Hoffstein,et al.  Snoring and upper airway properties. , 1988, Chest.

[21]  A. J. Block,et al.  Nocturnal oxygen therapy does not improve snorers' intelligence. , 1989, Chest.

[22]  A. Mancuso,et al.  Measurement of pharyngeal volume by digitized magnetic resonance imaging. Effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure. , 1989, The American review of respiratory disease.

[23]  G. Aubert.  Alternative therapeutic approaches in sleep apnea syndrome. , 1992, Sleep.

[24]  Braver Hm,et al.  Effect of Nasal Spray, Positional Therapy, and the Combination Thereof in the Asymptomatic Snorer , 1994 .