You don't have to sleep in another room! Treat your snoring...

My wife says that I snore. I did not think that it was a big deal, but now that I am forced to sleep in another room, it has become a significant problem. Is there anything that can be done?

Snoring is a very common problem with 45% of adults snoring occasionally and 25% of adults snoring nightly. Snoring itself can cause tension in the relationship as well as poor quality sleep. Sleep apnea is related to snoring but involves episodes of breath holding which requires brief periods of arousal to reopen the airway. Sleep apnea is a medical problem which requires specific treatments. If there is any concern for sleep apnea, a sleep study should be performed by your physician.

Snoring sounds are caused when there is an obstruction to the free flow of air through the nasal cavity and back of the throat. People who snore may suffer from poor muscle tone in the tongue and throat, excessive bulkiness of throat tissue, a long uvula, large tonsils, or obstructed nasal airways. Typically, the soft palate and uvula vibrate due to this obstruction and snoring results.
There are several treatments that a snorer can try at home. Weight loss will decrease the volume of the soft tissue in the throat. Treating nasal allergies will open the nasal airway. Decreasing sedatives such as sleeping pills and alcohol will give better resting tone to the throat musculature. Sleeping on your side may help keep the soft tissue in the back of the throat from falling back as easy.

If these remedies do not resolve the problem, there are several simple office procedures that can help. For patients with significant nasal obstruction, opening the nasal airway with a turbinate reduction or even a simple septoplasty will help to reduce the snoring. Other procedures affect the soft palate directly. A Snoreplasty involves a small injection into the back of the mouth to stiffen the soft palate thereby decreasing palate vibration. Pillar implants accomplished the same effect by using small medical grade implants to stiffen the soft palate. Each of these procedures takes only a few minutes and all are performed under local anesthesia.

A small percentage of adults have snoring for other reasons to include large tonsils, nasal polyps, or chronic sinusitis. Addressing these issues can also significantly reduce snoring.

Snoring can be caused by many additive factors and can also be treated many different ways. If simple home remedies are not resolving snoring, evaluation by an otolaryngologist may lead to a simple, curative treatment plan.

Zachary Wassmuth, MD