Deviated Septum And How It Relates To Snoring
Your septum is a bone and cartilage boundary wall which effectively separates your two nostrils. A deviated one is more often than not the culprit behind the lovely symphony of sounds that attends your sleep and is known as ‘snoring’!
Curvature of the septum is not externally visible and is usually detected by the fact that the person has obstructed breathing resulting in this noisy condition.
On occasion the birth pressure on a newborn’s skull can be a contributory factor to a deviated septum in a person. Another cause for this condition is simply a broken nose. Either you were a boxer, or a most irritating individual who often had his nose punched!
A deviated septum can also be the cause of a bacterial build up and excessive mucus being present in the nose cavities. It can even further aggravate the disease known as obstructive sleep apnoea where your upper air passages get blocked recurrently while you are asleep. Apnoea in any form is a life threatening condition and must be taken seriously. Correction of a deviated septum has little bearing in the proper treatment of apnoea.
If you are moderately affected by a crooked septum, nasal sprays, decongestants, antihistamines or antibiotics can be used under your doctor’s recommendation. In its mild form, you can simply resort to using a nasal strip to correct the position of your septum during your sleep. In its most severe form, a deviated septum must be shown to a doctor and professional advice sought for its correction.
A deviated septum has no real medical implications other than this unmelodious accompaniment to your slumber. However, if your misshapen septum is really causing you a great deal of discomfort with the obstruction producing heavy breathing and deep snoring at night, you could consider having some surgery.
