Ask Our Experts – Your Stop Snoring Questions Of The Month – February

Question 1: My son always feels he needs to “pop his ears from pressure, not from water–no pain–has swollen tonsils–gen non restorative sleep (3 years now). Also has post nasal drip. Adenoids were removed due to snoring. Any ideas?

In your email you also mention that your son has been tested and found with no sleep apnea, no allergies, no deviated septum, no strep throat, no illness. He has seen many doctors with no diagnosis.

Doctor Scott R. Schaffer’s response to your question is as follows:

It sounds like your son may suffer from laryngopharyngeal reflux disease, or “silent reflux”. Check out a video on You Tube entitled “Understanding LPR” for more information. In addition to creating inflammation of the throat, with compensatory hypersecretion (“post nasal drip”), LPR may cause the adenoid tissue to grow back. This could account for the snoring, mouth breathing and sleep disturbance. Also watch for cranky behavior and failure to grow as tall as his friends. These are signs of worsened airway obstruction, and suggest that an otolaryngology evaluation is in order. Hope this helps!

Question 2: I really need help. My wife says my snoring is getting out of control and soon I’ll find myself sleeping on the couch. She says I eat all the wrong foods and I eat too late. What foods should I avoid eating at night?

An inflammation that constricts the airway that allows air to pass through generally causes the sleeper to experience deeper breaths causing the tissues in the throat to vibrate that make the snoring noise.

For some people certain foods may cause an inflammation in their airways resulting in their snoring. Tomatoes for example may cause acid reflux or heartburn but can also inflame your airways if you are sensitive to the fruit. Eating a late large dinner high in starch  foods such as refined  wheat products (white-bread), potatoes, high fat fried foods or dairy products such as yellow cheeses may also aggravate your sleep and contribute to your snoring. And avoid having alcohol before going to bed as well. When we drink alcohol our bodies become relaxed, including the muscles of the throat which can “collapse” and obstruct the passage of air through the airway.

To help reduce your snoring avoid late night meals prior to bed. Eat your last meal several hours before going to sleep. Plan your meal to include spinach, fish or garlic. Avoid junk foods such as potato chips.  And again, avoid alcohol.

Eating smart by choosing the right foods for dinner will help curb your snoring at night.