Problems With Snoring

QUESTION: My problem is this: I've had my nose broken 4 times playing
various sports. Now I snore like a herd of stampeding buffalo. My marriage
is suffering because my wife is a light sleeper. Help me, please.
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ANSWER: Snoring is not a matter to be taken lightly, as it may be associated
with a number of quite serious situations, including sleep apnea. That is a
condition in which the sleeper stops breathing for 10 seconds or more up to
300 times a night. Of course, the obvious diagnosis in your case would be to
blame the problem on you poor beat up nose. If the passage through which you
inhale air is obstructed, you have to pull harder to get the air in. This
creates a partial vacuum effect that pulls the soft part of the airway
together and which vibrates as you breathe, causing the snoring. However,
before we condemn just your nose, you require a thorough examination of your
nose, mouth, palate, throat and neck. If your nose is the culprit, there is a
real possibility that only surgery can correct the obstructive conditions that
are causing your sleep symphony.