Is all snoring dangerous?

No, not all snoring is dangerous. If you snore only when lying on your back or when very tired, and you wake up refreshed, this is usually “simple snoring” — not medically worrying.

But if you are told that your breathing stops during sleep, if you have trouble concentrating during the day, or if you wake from sleep short of breath, this may point to something beyond simple snoring — obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Untreated OSA carries long-term risks of cardiovascular disease and metabolic problems, so it is important to seek a specialist opinion if you have these symptoms.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnoea, and when is a sleep study needed?

The first step in telling simple snoring from OSA is to look at your symptoms: is there snoring alone, or is it accompanied by excessive daytime sleepiness, tiredness or pauses in breathing during sleep?

The gold standard for a definite diagnosis is polysomnography (a sleep study) — it measures how many times your breathing stops during the night and how far your oxygen level falls. If you have any of the symptoms above, I am very likely to recommend a sleep study.

Which structures are assessed at the ENT examination?

At the examination I assess the physical structures that can cause obstruction: deviation inside the nose (septal deviation), laxity of the soft palate, the size of the tonsils, the structure of the mouth (Mallampati score) and neck circumference. This assessment helps me determine which region contributes most to the obstruction and therefore which treatment approach is likely to be more effective.

When is surgical treatment considered?

For snoring and mild to moderate apnoea, non-surgical methods are preferred first: PAP (positive airway pressure) therapy is the gold standard in adults, and for patients who cannot adapt to it, oral appliances (devices that bring the lower jaw forward) are an effective alternative.

Surgery is considered the first option particularly in children (in apnoea due to enlarged adenoids and tonsils). In adults, surgery can reduce snoring markedly, but lasting success depends largely on correct patient selection — and it is taken into account that the benefit gained in the first years after surgery may lessen over time.