Snoring Solutions

 

Rose knows just about everyone snores occasionally. 

Even a baby or a beloved pet may snore! But snoring can affect the quantity and quality of your sleep. Poor sleep can lead to daytime fatigue, irritability and increased health problems. And, if your snoring is so loud that your bed partner can't sleep, you may end up banished from the bedroom.

Sleeping in separate bedrooms doesn’t have to be the remedy for your snoring. In fact, there are many effective treatments for snoring. Discovering the cause of your snoring and finding the right cure will vastly improve your health, your relationships, and, of course, your sleep.

How to stop snoring

Snoring can often seem like a problem without a solution – especially when it is getting in the way of a good night’s sleep for you and your partner. If you want to stop snoring, it is important to consider the cause and severity of your snoring. Identifying the cause can help you choose the right cure.

It also makes sense to try some simple non-invasive treatments first to see if they will reduce or prevent your snoring. See the section on Self help tips and remedies below for more information on these snoring cures.

• Sleep on your side
• Elevate the head of your bed
• Limit alcohol and medications
• Clear your nasal passages
• Lose weight

You may find that your snoring persists even after trying these changes. If your snoring results from a more serious cause, a cure may be more complex – but there are solutions. Your nights don’t have to be noisy! Read on to learn more about the possible causes of your snoring as well as treatment options. If you can uncover the cause of your snoring, you should be able to find a cure that is right for you.

Whats the cause of snoring?

Where does the snore sound come from?

Snoring is caused by a narrowing of your airway, either from poor sleep posture or abnormalities of the soft tissues in your throat. A narrow airway gets in the way of smooth breathing and creates the sound of snoring.

People who snore often have too much throat and nasal tissue, or “floppy” tissue that is more prone to vibrate. The position of the tongue can also get in the way of smooth breathing.  Evaluating how and when you snore will help you pinpoint whether the cause of your snoring is within your control or not. Enlist your sleep partner or keep a sleep diary to help you determine the possible cause of your snoring

Tip: The way you snore may reveal why you snore!

If you snore

• With your mouth closed: a problem with the tongue is probably the culprit
• With your mouth open: your snoring is likely related to the tissues in your throat
• Only on your back: your snoring is probably mild – improved sleep habits and lifestyle changes may be effective cures
• In all sleep positions: your snoring is more severe and may require a more comprehensive treatment

Causes and Risk Factors of Snoring
Causes out of our control	Causes within our control
Heredity - A narrow throat, a cleft palate, enlarged adenoids and other physical attributes which contribute to snoring can be hereditary. Being middle-aged or beyond - As you age, your throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in your throat decreases. Being male - Men have narrower air passages than women and are more likely to snore. Allergies, asthma, a cold, or sinus infections - Blocked airways make inhalation difficult and create a vacuum in the throat, leading to snoring	Being overweight or out of shape - Fatty tissue and poor muscle tone contribute to snoring. A history of smoking – Smoking (or exposure to second-hand smoke) relaxes muscles and creates nasal congestion. Alcohol or medications - Alcohol and  medications increase muscle relaxation leading to more snoring. Sleeping posture - Sleeping flat on your back allows the flesh of your throat to relax and block the airway.

Snoring problems and relationships

Snoring can get in the way of a good night’s sleep and a healthy relationship with your spouse or partner.  Many couples affected by snoring resort to sleeping in separate bedrooms in order to get a good night’s sleep. This arrangement may help both people sleep better, but it can disrupt communication and intimacy.
Mild snoring that isn't related to sleep apnea responds well to home remedies. Finding a cure for your snoring problem can result in an improved quality of life for you and your loved ones.

Sleep partners of people who snore heavily often awaken over twenty times per hour. The constant sleep disruption and excessive tiredness caused by noisy snoring takes a toll on social and physical aspects of a relationship.

Many partners of snorers decide to sleep in separate rooms, and the resulting lack of bedtime chatting and physical intimacy can lead to a strained relationship. The person who snores often becomes isolated and frustrated about a problem they seemingly have no control over.

Negative health effects of snoring

The most typical health problem snoring causes is loss of sleep for both the person snoring and his (or her) sleep partner. The snoring noise combined with tossing and turning often keep both people from sleeping soundly. Sleep deprivation has significant consequences: excessive sleepiness, irritability, and lack of productivity during the day, as well as negative health repercussions.

People who snore chronically are often middle-aged and overweight, and snoring may indicate a more serious underlying medical problem.

Snoring and sleep apnea

Snoring can also be a symptom of sleep apnea, a potentially life-threatening condition. While snoring is caused by narrow airways, sleep apnea is a true breathing obstruction, which requires the sleeper to awaken to begin breathing again. A person with sleep apnea wakes up many times a night to regain breathing, but usually remembers nothing at all about the awakenings. Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea, but snoring by itself does not involve the cessation of breathing.

Snoring relief: Self help tips and remedies

In addition to the self-help tips listed at the beginning of the article, the following cures for snoring may be worth a try.

Tip: The tennis ball trick

Do you sleep on your back? Try the “tennis ball trick”: sleep with a tennis ball (or any ball of approximately the same size) attached to the back of your pajama top. (You can sew a pocket or safety-pin a sock to the back of the pajama top, then put a tennis ball in it.) The tennis ball is uncomfortable if you lie on your back, and you will respond by turning on your side. Soon you will develop side-sleeping as a habit and not need the tennis ball.

• Lose weight – Losing weight is often a very effective cure for mild to moderate snoring. Even a little bit of weight loss can reduce fatty tissue in the back of the throat and decrease snoring. 
• Sleep on your side – If you sleep on your back and snore mildly, sleeping on your side might cure your snoring altogether.
• Elevate your head – Try elevating the head of your bed four inches, which may make breathing easier and encourage your tongue and jaw to move forward. Sleep without a pillow (or with a specially designed pillow) to make sure your neck muscles are not crimped.
• Avoid certain foods, alcohol and medications before bed - Alcohol and certain medications increase relaxation of throat and tongue muscles, which makes snoring more likely. Sleeping pills or tranquilizers may help you sleep, but they will also relax your muscles and increase the chance of snoring. High-fat milk products or soy milk products cause mucus to build up in the throat which can lead to snoring as well.  
• Clear your nasal passages - Having a stuffy nose makes inhalation difficult and creates a vacuum in your throat, which in turn leads to snoring. Nasal decongestants or nasal strips may help you breathe more easily while sleeping. Antihistamines can help with allergies, but will relax throat muscles and cause snoring.

Alternative remedies for snoring – Are you ready to take up singing or a new instrument?

Singing – Singing can increase muscle control in the throat and soft palate, reducing snoring caused by lax muscles. Playing the didgeridoo – Thinking of taking up a new instrument? Learning to play a didgeridoo can strengthen the soft palate and throat, reducing snoring.

Medical cures and treatments for snoring

If your own efforts to stop snoring do not help, consult your physician or an otolaryngologist (ENT, or ear, nose, and throat doctor). If you choose to try a dental appliance for your snoring, you will need to see a dentist specializing in these devices.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

To keep your airway open during sleep, a machine at your bedside blows pressurized air into a mask that you wear over your nose or face

Dental appliances, oral devices, and lower jaw/chin straps

Dental devices, which often resemble the mouth guards worn by athletes, can help open your airway by bringing your lower jaw or your tongue forward during sleep.

Most dental devices are acrylic and fit inside your mouth; others fit around your head and chin to adjust the position of your lower jaw. A dentist specializing in sleep disorders can help fit you for one of these devices.

Surgery

Certain surgeries, including Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty (TAP), tonsillectomy, and adenoidectomy, increase the size of your airway by surgically removing tissues or correcting abnormalities. Using a scalpel, laser, or microwaving probe (radiofrequency energy), a surgeon may remove tonsils, adenoids, or excess tissue at the back of the throat or inside the nose, or reconstruct the jaw.

The Pillar procedure, or palatal implantation, is a new surgery which has shown promising results for snoring. Small plastic implants, less than an inch-long in size, are inserted into the soft palate using a syringe-like instrument. The procedure is usually performed in a doctor’s office under local anesthesia, with little pain and mild side effects. Scar tissue builds up around the implants, causing the tissue of the soft palate to stiffen which ceases the vibrations that cause snoring. The down-side of this procedure, and any surgical cure, for that matter, is that it is relatively new and it is expensive. Most insurance plans does not cover surgery for snoring.

See your doctor or dentist to discuss the medical treatments available and to decide which might help you eliminate snoring.
resource:  http://www.helpguide.org/life/snoring.htm

Surgery to Stop Snoring

Rose knows when she was married more times than not her and her husband had to sleep in separate crypts let alone the same double-wide coffin due to his loud snoring. This is a problem with many couples today…they sleep in different rooms because one is a habitual snorer. While you might consider surgery to stop snoring as the extreme, for most that have a chronic snoring problem, it is no surprise that surgery sounds like a good solution. Chronic snoring can be a ‘side effect’ to another serious medical issue and you should talk to your doctor before your health worsens.

If we snore we hate to admit to it and even if we do admit to it, we don’t think it’s serious enough to talk to a doctor. We hate doctors. They cost us time and money. So, we spend our money on stop snoring aides such as; nasal strips, chin straps, tongue guards or an at-home method, like a shirt that doesn’t allow you to turn on your back…. Lol. If, you have a sleep routine it is hard enough to remember to do everything, let alone put on an uncomfortable snoring aide. You’re going to have to keep a sleep routine check list!

Surgery to stop snoring is definitely a way to reduce the number of things you need to do to get ready for bed. Like any surgery it is not only expensive but there are possible risks involved such as infection and scar tissue build-up. Scar tissue could make you snoring worse and might even close your breathing air passage. Are you ready to accept the risks? Have you consulted with an experienced surgeon? Have you talked to your insurance company to see if the surgery is covered? Most insurance companies feel that surgery for snoring is elective unless you are a chronic snorer and an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) finds it medically necessary. You may need to have a sleep study done to determine the cause of your snoring and depending on the diagnosis will depend on which specialist you will need to see for proper treatment. Remember, I said before snoring is usually a result of another health problem.

You may have enlarged tonsils and adenoids or excess uvula tissue, which constrict your air passage. A UPPP or uvulopalatoharyngoplasty will remove the excess tissue which usually decreases snoring by widening the airway. You will stay in the hospital a day or two and expect full recovery to take at least three weeks. During recovery, swallowing will be difficult and you will have to eat a liquid diet for a bit. UPPP is effective in decreasing snoring, but over the long period of time has cured only 46% to 73% of the cases. You may experience a change in your voice. A risk of infection and a condition called ‘nasal reflux’ may result. The average cost is between $10,000 and $12,000.

A LAUP or laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty is a modified UPPP as the surgeon will use a laser instead of a scalpel to shorten the soft palate and cut away the uvula. Because the laser is so hot it cauterizes the wound as it cuts. When the wound heals and a scar is formed, the new tissue is smaller and stiffer than it was before and therefore decreasing your ability to snore. The LAUP procedure may involve two to five outpatient sessions spaced from four to six weeks apart and each lasting for about 30 minutes. This procedure isn’t recommended for sleep apnea patients or light snorers, but those with chronic snoring and those that snore loud and disruptive. Note: LUAP may alter your voice. Average cost is about $1500 to $2000 per procedure.

Cautery-assisted palatal stiffening operation or CAPSO uses heat to burn or cauterize tissues of the palate. When the palate heals, the resulting scar tissue will be stiffer and less likely to cause snoring. Patients experience postoperative pain, but not as much as UPPP or LAUP procedures. This surgery is relatively inexpensive as it cost roughly $150.00 per treatment and is done on an out-patient basis. Risks are minimal compared to the other procedures. Note: this is an experimental surgery and hasn’t been fully evaluated. Researchers need to conduct more studies on CAPSO before we recommend it.


If your snoring is a result of a blockage in the nose, nasal surgery will remove any obstructions or correct a deviated septum. A deviated septum is one of the most common causes of snoring and can often be slightly corrected without the use of invasive surgery. The septum is, in essence, the flap of skin and cartilage that divides your two nostrils. Because the majority of the septum lies within your nasal cavity and cannot be easily seen, many people would never know they had a deviated septum if it wasn't for the snoring. Many patients who receive septum surgery for medical reasons elect to get a full rhinoplasty while they are under the knife. Keep in mind, however, that many insurance companies will cover septum surgery for the purpose of reducing snoring, while few, if any, will cover a rhinoplasty for cosmetic reasons. A rhinoplasty costs vary depending on surgeon and the city performed. In Indianapolis, it will cost $3750 - $5500.

If you suffer from OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) your doctor may suggest genioglossus and hyoid advancement which prevents the collapse of the lower throat by pulling the tongue muscles forward. The genioglossus is a major tongue muscle that advances, retracts and depresses the tongue. The hyoid is a u-shaped bone at the base of the tongue that supports the tongue muscles. The tongue suspension procedure keeps the tongue from falling back over the airway during sleep. A small screw is inserted into the lower jawbone and stitches below the tongue. This procedure is usually performed along with others and is potentially reversible. If this operation is done in the hospital it can run as high as $8000 on an out-patient basis $500.


Somnoplasty also known as radio frequency tissue ablation (RFTA) uses a needle electrode that emits energy to shrink excess tissue. The tissue is reabsorbed by the body thus shrinking the soft tissue of the palate which can help minimize snoring. This procedure is performed under a local anesthesia as an outpatient surgery and designed to lessen bleeding and postoperative pain. Pain can be controlled by over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol. More than one treatment is required and the final cost could run as high as $2500. Radio frequency procedures are still under study therefore, there are no statistics on its effectiveness. Many hospitals may not have the equipment to perform a somnoplasty. An even newer type of procedure using radiofrequency energy is called coblation channeling. Unlike somnoplasty and other procedures that shrink tissue, coblation channeling both shrinks and removes excess tissue.


Snoreplasty or injection snoreplasty is also a new procedure where a hardening agent is injected into the soft palate to promote scarring and stiffening of the tissue. Injection snoreplasty is performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. After numbing the upper palate with topical anesthetic, the hardening agent is injected just under the skin on the top of the mouth in front of the uvula (upper palate), creating a small blister. Within a couple of days the blister hardens, forms scar tissue, and pulls the floppy uvula forward to eliminate snoring. This procedure is less painful and less expensive than other options running around $700 - $1,000 for the two required treatments. Tylenol and throat lozenges or spray are suggested for pain management. Patients can return to work the next day. Though snoring may continue for a few days, it should eventually lessen. A post-procedure sleep test may be administered to fully evaluate the effects of the procedure.

Forty-five percent of normal adults snore at least occasionally, and 25 percent are habitual snorers. Thirty percent of adults over age 30 are snorers. By middle age, that number reaches 40 percent. Clearly, snoring is a dilemma affecting spouses, family members and sometimes neighbors. If your spouse is sleeping in the other room because he/she snores and other snore remedies haven’t worked, you may want to consider surgery to stop snoring. So STOP THE SNORING MADNESS and get back into bed with the one you love.
Good Day,
Rose Sheepskill