While rare, enlarged tonsils may also cause sleep apnea or snoring in adults as well. It should be noted that while snoring can be associated with sleep apnea, notallpeople who snore have sleep apnea. Snoring occurs due to vibration of the soft tissues in the upper airway. Enlarged tonsillar tissue can contribute to these noises.
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Sleep Apnea
How to Stop Snoring: 15 Remedies to Try
Removing the Tonsils to Treat Sleep Apnea
Has your healthcare provider recommended a tonsillectomy or are you considering whether or not this would help stop your child’s snoring? Approximately 79% of children who have a tonsillectomy surgery for OSA experienced a resolution of their symptoms.Whereas if you wait, symptoms of sleep apnea will resolve on their own only about half the time. Having a discussion with your healthcare provider will help you know if waiting would be the better option for you since there aresome risks with having a tonsillectomy.
Tonsillectomy is almost exclusively considered for children with OSA and not adults. If you are an adult with sleep apnea, your healthcare providermayelect to perform a tonsillectomy to improve symptoms. In those adults who have enlarged tonsils, this may be successful.However, adults usually require CPAP.
Other Causes of Sleep Apnea
You should know, that while tonsillectomy has been shown to cure sleep apnea in cases when enlarged tonsils are the cause, there are many other reasons you may experience sleep apnea. Other potential causes of OSA include:
Frequently Asked Questions
If enlarged adenoids are the cause of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), removing the adenoids can potentially treat it. This process of removal is called adenoidectomy. Before surgery is considered, other methods of treatment are tried first, like using a nasal spray to control adenoid swelling or antibiotics in the case of infection.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.Sleep ApneaMarcus CL, Moore RH, Rosen CL, et al.A randomized trial of adenotonsillectomy for childhood sleep apnea.N Engl J Med. 2013;368(25):2366–2376. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1215881Reckley LK, Fernandez-Salvador C, Camacho M.The effect of tonsillectomy on obstructive sleep apnea: an overview of systematic reviews.Nat Sci Sleep. 2018;10:105–110. doi:10.2147/NSS.S127816MedlinePlus.Adenoids.Additional ReadingAmerican Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.Treatment options for adults with snoring.URMC.Obstructive sleep apnea.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.Sleep ApneaMarcus CL, Moore RH, Rosen CL, et al.A randomized trial of adenotonsillectomy for childhood sleep apnea.N Engl J Med. 2013;368(25):2366–2376. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1215881Reckley LK, Fernandez-Salvador C, Camacho M.The effect of tonsillectomy on obstructive sleep apnea: an overview of systematic reviews.Nat Sci Sleep. 2018;10:105–110. doi:10.2147/NSS.S127816MedlinePlus.Adenoids.Additional ReadingAmerican Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.Treatment options for adults with snoring.URMC.Obstructive sleep apnea.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.Sleep ApneaMarcus CL, Moore RH, Rosen CL, et al.A randomized trial of adenotonsillectomy for childhood sleep apnea.N Engl J Med. 2013;368(25):2366–2376. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1215881Reckley LK, Fernandez-Salvador C, Camacho M.The effect of tonsillectomy on obstructive sleep apnea: an overview of systematic reviews.Nat Sci Sleep. 2018;10:105–110. doi:10.2147/NSS.S127816MedlinePlus.Adenoids.
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.Sleep Apnea
Marcus CL, Moore RH, Rosen CL, et al.A randomized trial of adenotonsillectomy for childhood sleep apnea.N Engl J Med. 2013;368(25):2366–2376. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1215881
Reckley LK, Fernandez-Salvador C, Camacho M.The effect of tonsillectomy on obstructive sleep apnea: an overview of systematic reviews.Nat Sci Sleep. 2018;10:105–110. doi:10.2147/NSS.S127816
MedlinePlus.Adenoids.
American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.Treatment options for adults with snoring.URMC.Obstructive sleep apnea.
American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.Treatment options for adults with snoring.
URMC.Obstructive sleep apnea.
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