Snoring Treatments
- Before you consult your doctor, you may want to try a few simple anti-snoring measures. Following a healthy diet and beginning an exercise program can help you lose weight and reduce snoring if you are overweight. Weight gain can cause extra tissue to form in the throat, narrowing the airway. Every time you breathe, the tissue vibrates, causing snoring.
- Increasing airflow through your nose may reduce snoring if you suffer from nasal congestion or have a deviated septum. The septum is the wall that separates your nostrils. In some cases, the septum isn't located precisely between the two nostrils and one nostril may have restricted airflow as a result. Using adhesive nasal strips may help keep the nasal passages open while you sleep. If you have allergies or a cold and are suffering from nasal congestion, using a decongestant for a few days can help reduce stuffiness in your nose and reduce snoring.
If you snore, you may want to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages or taking sleeping pills or sedatives before you go to bed. These substances relax your throat muscles, limiting the passage of air. Sleeping on your side, rather than your back, may be a good idea if you snore. When you sleep on your back, your tongue can fall back into your throat, blocking the air passage. - Laser-assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP) is the procedure used to remove the uvula with a laser beam. The uvula is the small piece of tissue that hangs down from the soft palate. In some cases, a uvula that is too long can contribute to snoring. Removing the uvula can often be done during an office procedure using local or general anesthesia. In addition to the uvula, surrounding tissue is also removed to increase the size of the airway.
Shrinking tongue or throat tissue with radio frequency tissue ablation may also be helpful. A needle electrode is used to shrink tissue in the uvula, palate, nasal passages or base of the tongue. Several treatments with a low-intensity radio frequency signal are usually required to shrink the tissue. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis with a local anesthetic.
When other treatments fail, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, a procedure used to surgically remove excessive tissue in the throat and palate, may be recommended. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia as an inpatient or outpatient procedure. - Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous condition characterized by snoring interrupted by short periods when breathing stops completely. Sleep apnea makes blood oxygen levels drop and causes the heart to work harder, increasing the risk that you will develop high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, stroke, heart attack, heart disease or daytime drowsiness. Sleep apnea is a common problem, affecting one in five adults, according to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS).
Sleep apnea can be treated with an oral appliance that prevents the tongue from falling into the airway or by using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. The CPAP machine works by forcing a constant flow of pressurized air through your throat, keeping the airway open. Air flows through your airway through a special mask placed over your nose each night.
