Joelle: Hello Doctor. I’m fine but I would just like to have your opinion on a small problem: my husband tells me that I snore more and more. As my nose is still a bit stuffy, I wonder if it’s not my sinuses that are still playing tricks on me.
Dr Pierrat:For what? Are you often prone to sinusitis?
Joelle: Yes, I started doing it when I quit smoking. It’s still bad luck! But I never really took care of myself seriously…
Dr Pierrat:This morning, you talk a little about the nose, as they say! Is it always like this?
Joelle: Yes, more or less, although in summer it is often better. I end up wondering if I don’t have sinus aspergillosis. I know this stuff because I have a friend who had this and had to have surgery. Do you believe it’s possible?
Dr Pierrat:To know, it is necessary to do examinations, to look at the nasal cavities and the sinuses closely. The diagnosis of this benign infectious pathology is made from the images of an MRI. And it is indeed often necessary to clean the affected sinus. It is a kind of fungus. But this is not very common.
Back to you. Do you snore more in the middle of the night or at the end of the night? Since when do you really notice that?
Joelle: I couldn’t quite answer you. My husband says it’s mostly late night. He even plans to have a separate bedroom. Me, I don’t really realize it. Simply, what is certain is that since the menopause, I sleep less well. Think snoring has to do with hormones?
Dr Pierrat:A little yes. Female hormones protect many things, even the elastic fibers of the soft palate. They are the ones who, by relaxing, cause the nocturnal noises that bother loved ones. Before the menopause, men are more likely to snore, afterwards, women also start to snore, because their airways lose their tone.
Joelle: And these stories of sleep apnea, women are not concerned?
Dr Pierrat:Yes, they can, again when the years pass and the tissues relax. But there are then generally evocative signs during the day.
Joelle: We’re tired, right?
Dr Pierrat:Exactly. The nights no longer rest; we snore loudly, and not only at the end of the night.
Joelle: So I shouldn’t be worried?
Dr Pierrat:I do not think so. If the snoring increases or bothers you, I may refer you to an ENT specialist. But for now, take care of anything that contributes to good breathing and good sleep. So, as often as possible: light meals in the evening, without alcohol, and humidification of the air in the room, during the night. Especially in times of colds.
What to know about snoring
Approximately 10% of snorers breathe badly through their nose. Snoring can indeed be caused by a deviation of the nasal septum, chronic rhinitis, the presence of polyps in the nasal passages, too large turbinates (small bony growths, covered with mucous membranes, located in three places in the nasal cavity) or by tonsils that are too large. So many causes that can be treated very well.
But snoring is also more common in women after menopausedue to sagging tissues in the back of the throat. Sleep apnea too. However, these are less often observed than in men, except in cases of overweight.because fat is also deposited in the walls of the throat. When apneas occur and they become frequent, treatment (wearing a special mask at night) is recommended, as in men, to avoid complications (fatigue leading to accidents, cardiovascular disease, etc.).
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