Sleep apnea and other more complex sleep disorders are addressed by the skilled clinicians of our Sleep Center. However, in most cases, snoring can be significantly reduced or totally eliminated with a simple, outpatient laser procedure at the Nasal & Sinus Center.
Across the United States, couples now sleep more soundly and feel more rested and productive thanks to this quick and efficient laser snoring solution. Contact the Nasal & Sinus Center today to see if you're a candidate for this remarkable procedure that quiets snoring...in minutes!
How Common is Snoring?
Forty-five percent of normal adults snore at least occasionally, and 25 percent are habitual snorers. The problem is more frequent with males and those who are overweight, and worsen with age.
Cures for snoring vary widely, ranging from sewing a tennis ball into a snorer's pajama back to electric shock mechanisms that give the snorer an unpleasant jolt. Most of these remedies and devices are based upon some sort of sleep behavior modification, with the presumption that a person can be trained or conditioned not to snore. Unfortunately, the snorer has no control whatsoever over snoring, and if these devices do work, it is probably because they keep the snorer awake.
What Causes Snoring?
Those noisy sounds of snoring occur when there is an obstruction to the free flow of air through the passage at the back of the mouth and nose. This area is the collapsible part of the airway where the tongue and upper throat meet the soft palate and uvula. When these structures strike each other and vibrate during breathing, that is snoring.
If you Snore you may be suffering from:
- Poor muscle tone in the Tongue and Throat. When muscles are too relaxed, either from alcohol or from drugs that cause sleepiness, the tongue falls backwards into the airway or the throat muscles draw in from the sides into the airway. This can also happen in deep sleep.
- Excessive bulkiness of Throat Tissue. Children with large tonsils and adenoids, for example, often snore. Overweight persons have bulky neck tissue, too. Cysts or tumors could also cause bulk, but they are rare.
- Long Soft Palate and or Uvula. A long palate narrows the opening from the nose into the throat. As it dangles, it acts as a noisy flutter valve during relaxed breathing. A long uvula makes matters even worse.
- Obstructed Nasal Airways. A stuffy or blocked nose requires extra effort to pull air through it. This creates an exaggerated vacuum in the throat, pulls together the floppy tissues of the throat, and snoring results. So, in some persons snoring might occur only during the hay fever season or with a cold or sinus infection.
Also, deformities of the nose and nasal septum, such as a deviation of the septum (a deformity of the wall that separates one nostril from the other), can cause an obstruction.
Should I Worry About Snoring?
Socially, snoring is disruptive to family life, causing other family members sleepless nights and often resentfulness. Snorers become unwelcome roommates on vacations or business trips. Also, snoring actually disturbs the sleeping patterns of the snorer, making restful sleep difficult. Finally, snoring can be an indicator of Obstructive Sleep Apnea - a serious medical problem.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is diagnosed when loud snoring is interrupted by episodes of partially or completely obstructed breathing. This condition can be serious and sometimes fatal if these episodes last over ten seconds and occur more than five times an hour. The effect of these obstructed breathing episodes is reduced blood oxygen levels to the brain, forcing the snorer to awaken momentarily many times and stay in a lighter sleep stage. This prevents the snorer from obtaining the rest benefit achieved only during deeper, consolidated sleep, and can lead to a tendency to fall asleep during daytime hours - on the job, or worse at the wheel of a car. After many years with the disorder, elevated blood pressure and heart enlargement may occur.
Can Heavy Snoring Be Cured?
Diagnosis/Treatment: Those who snore in any position or who are disruptive to the family, should seek medical advice to ensure that sleep apnea is not a problem. An otolaryngologist will provide a thorough examination of the nose, mouth, throat , palate, and neck. A sleep study in a laboratory environment may be necessary to determine how serious the snoring is and what effects it has on the snorer's overall health.
Treatment for snoring depends on the diagnosis. An examination will determine if the snoring is caused by obstructive sleep apnea, deformity, infection, nasal allergy, or tonsils and adenoids.
Your snoring or obstructive sleep apnea may respond to various treatments now offered by many otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons.
Sleep Apnea/Snoring Treatment
Somnoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that occurs in our Outpatient Center It utilizes a needle electrode to emit radiofrequency energy to shrink excess tissue to the upper airway including the palate and the uvula (for snoring), the base of tongue (for obstructive sleep apnea), and nasal turbinates (for chronic nasal obstruction).
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is the most common type of surgery for snoring and sleep apnea. This procedure involves removing the uvula, part of the soft palate, and the tonsils form the throat. It's often successful in stopping the throat structures from rattling and causing snoring. However, it is generally less successful in treating sleep apnea, because tissues farther back in the throat may still block the air passage.
UPPP is performed at St. Joseph Hospital. You'll be given general anesthesia to let you sleep during the procedure. You'll probably stay in the hospital for a day or two after UPPP. You may have a severe sore throat for several weeks after the procedure, and you'll probably eat only soft foods for a few weeks. Full recovery usually takes about a month.
Laser-Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP) is a newer procedure that can be used to treat snoring. During LAUP, the doctor uses a laser to remove part or all of the uvula and some of the soft palate. A similar procedure can be done using an electric current. Either of theses procedures may quiet snoring, and may sometimes be appropriate for treating mild sleep apnea.A sleep study may be done before this procedure is performed to determine whether or not you have sleep apnea.
LAUP is much like a visit to the dentist. The patient is treated in an outpatient laser lab or right in a doctor's office. The patient remains awake, but a local anesthetic keeps the patient from feeling pain. Depending on how much of the uvula needs to be removed, the procedure may be repeated one or more times at separate visits several weeks apart. After each LAUP session, there may be some discomfort lasting from a few days to a week. Eating may be restricted to soft foods for several days.
As with any surgery, there are possible risks and complications. These include the following:
- Food or liquids flowing into the nasal cavity during swallowing
- A temporary or permanent voice change
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Tongue numbness
- Failure of the procedure to cure sleep apnea, leading to apnea without snoring ("silent apnea")
If surgery is too risky or unwanted, the patient may sleep every night with a nasal mask that delivers air pressure into the throat. This is called continuous positive airway pressure ("CPAP").
Children whose snoring is chronic should be examined for problems with their tonsils and adenoids. A tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy may be beneficial to quiet a child's snoring.
Lose weight through exercise and establish healthy eating habits.
Avoid heavy meals or snacks for three hours before bedtime.
Avoid drinking alcohol for at least four hours before bedtime.
Establish regular sleeping patterns.
Sleep on your side rather than on your back.
Tilt the head of your bed upward about four inches
What is a Sleep Study?
A sleep study, or polysomnogram, is an overnight recording of sleep patterns and behaviors associated with sleep. It is necessary to determine what stages of sleep an individual achieves and whether any sleep-related abnormalities are present. A variety of sensors are applied with paste or tape to the body's surface to record brain waves, eye movements, muscle tone, body movements, heart rate, and breathing. Audiovisual recordings are made also. None of the sensors used are painful or invasive - even the oxygen content of the blood is measured non-invasively with a simple clip on the index finger. There are connecting wires to the sensors, but you are free to get up and walk about as needed.
During the study, every attempt is made to allow for a normal night's sleep. Some people typically sleep better or worse when away from home, but in either case this does not usually affect the value of the sleep study. The sleep laboratory has a homey, bedroom-like atmosphere with a TV/VCR. You wear your own bedclothes, and you can bring your favorite pillow and shower in the morning. A trained sleep technician explains all of the recording sensors during application. He or she is stationed outside the bedroom all night to both monitor the sleep recording and make sure you are comfortable.
Following the sleep study, a board-certified sleep specialist interprets the recording. The findings are integrated with your sleep history to determine a diagnosis and to make treatment recommendations. A sleep study report is sent to your physician who reviews the results with you at your follow-up office visits.
The Sleep Disorders Center is accredited by the American Sleep Disorders Association to provide comprehensive treatment of sleep-related disorders. The Center is designed to evaluate symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, daytime sleepiness or fatigue, snoring, breathing problems in sleep, restless legs at night, and other troublesome behaviors associated with sleep.
The Center's staff includes caring physicians, psychologists, and technicians who specialize in sleep disorders. Patients are evaluated by a team of professionals which may include specialists in pulmonary medicine, psychology, otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), neurology and cardiology.
The Sleep Disorders Center is located in the Providence Building at 1310 West Stewart Drive, Suite 403, Orange, California. For more information regarding a Sleep Disorders evaluation, please call (714) 771-8950 or visit the Sleep Disorders Center web pages
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