The following column was originally published Aug. 28, 2021

Thanks to breakthroughs in medicine and nutrition in recent years, we are living longer than ever before. But this increase in life expectancy also brings an increase in the number of diseases, injuries and impairments that affect older adults. With this in mind, we at the local Visiting Angels office in Salem have created this series of articles to keep our older population and their families informed and to offer some practical advice for meeting the challenges faced by seniors and those who care for them.

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While the tendency to snore at night can affect a person at any age, changes that take place in the body as we age may make us more likely to snore as older adults, even if snoring wasn’t a problem for us when we were younger.

Snoring happens when the airways in a person’s nose or throat become partially blocked during sleep, causing them to vibrate as the sleeper tries to take in air. There are many conditions which can lead to snoring in young and old alike, including congestion caused by allergies or infections, narrow airways in the nose which occur naturally or are caused by injury, and sleeping in certain positions that may restrict air flow.

Alcohol consumption can also cause snoring by relaxing the muscles in the throat and obstructing airflow as the person sleeps. However, this relaxation of the airway muscles can also occur naturally as we age. Similar to the way that other muscles in our body weaken and become less toned as we grow older, the muscles in our airways – especially in the soft palate at the back of the roof of the mouth – lose their rigidity with age, which can lead to increased snoring.

Other conditions related to age may also make snoring more likely for older adults. For example, our immune systems weaken as we age, which can make it easier for us to catch colds or other infections. This can lead to increased nasal congestion and snoring during sleep. Some medications taken for pain relief, high blood pressure and heart problems can also cause nasal congestion.

Some sedatives taken by older adults can act in much the same way as alcohol, relaxing the muscles in the throat and causing them to restrict airways. Air passages in the nose and throat can also be narrowed when a person puts on weight, and as we age, our metabolism slows, making it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it.

In some cases, snoring may be a symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition in which the throat muscles completely block the sufferer’s airways during sleep, which causes them to stop breathing. In extreme cases, an apnea sufferer may stop breathing as many as 30 times an hour in a single night.

Other symptoms of sleep apnea include waking up tired; memory issues; choking, coughing or gasping for air in the middle of the night; waking up with a dry mouth or headaches. Older adults who suspect they may have sleep apnea should see their doctor about the problem as quickly as possible, so that a proper diagnosis can be made and the appropriate treatment recommended.

Although aging may be inevitable, snoring as we age may not. Exercising the mouth may help strengthen the weak muscles at the back of the throat, and mouthpieces can be used to realign the tongue and jaw to tighten the loose tissue blocking the airway. In some cases, the solution may be as simple as having the sleeper roll over and avoid sleeping on his back. This, too, helps to shift the position of throat muscles, keeping airways open.

Over-the-counter or prescription medications can be taken to relieve nasal congestion and unblock stuffy airways, and many lifestyle changes can help to eliminate the causes of snoring, including quitting smoking, avoiding alcohol, and exercising and losing weight.

A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine can be prescribed to send a continuous stream of air into the nose and mouth during sleep, and in extreme cases, surgery may be recommended to correct the blockages which lead to snoring.

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Information provided by Visiting Angels, America’s choice in homecare. Visiting Angels non-medical homecare services allow people to continue enjoying the independence of their daily routines in familiar surroundings. To set up an appointment for a no-obligation in-home consultation, call 330-332-1203.