Snoring Surgery Info

Snorring is a common condition that around 50% of adults suffer from at least occasionally, it occurs when air passes though the relaxed tissues in your throat, producing a vibration which causes the dreaded sound. This usually happens when you move to lighter sleep to deep sleep, and involves the muscles in the soft palate, the tongue and throat.

It is very important to address the problem of snoring not only because it can have a toll on your relationships, but also because it can also be a sign of an underlying condition such as obstructive sleep apnea, nasal obstruction and even obesity. There are different approaches to reduce the snorring problems including lifestyle changes and the use of surgery in some specific cases.

Snorring can be produced by different factor such as the anatomy of your mouth, nasal problems, obstructive sleep apnea and even alcohol consumption. When dealing with this problem it is very important to go to the doctor and discard serious underlying conditions; you may need to go to an otolaryngologist or sleep specialist to undergo proper testing and evaluation.

How to stop Snorring With Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes involve mostly losing weight, changing your sleeping position and adjusting the placement of your jaw when sleeping.

Excess weight is a major cause of snoring in people around the World; higher fat storage will enlarge the tissues in the throat, allowing the appearance of the vibrations. Many people are able to reduce problems simply by losing a few pounds until the airways can get a better flow of air. You don’t have to be 100% fit to find relief for snoring.

To change your sleep position you can use either a tennis ball or a special anti snorring pillow; the goal is the same: prevent you from sleeping in your back, which is a position that facilitates the obstruction of the airways. If you are wondering how to use a tennis ball, know that it is meant to put it in your back pocket while you sleep, so whenever you try to sleep on your back unconsciously, the discomfort will help you shift back to your original position.

Adjusting the placement of your jaw can be done through snorring devices or oral appliances. These are offered by dentists and can be external or internal; there are also chin straps which have the same purpose. These snorring solutions can be pretty uncomfortable at first and not at all aesthetical, however over time you get accustomed to their use.

Snorring Surgery

Surgery might be the last resort for many people who have fought long years against snoring, however, it Is not a 100% effective solution. It can reduce greatly snorring in the short term, but current surgical procedures tend to decrease in effectiveness over the years. –Nowadays you can opt for laser-assisted surgery for a better recovery time and reduce complications that may arise from the treatment. To learn more about surgeries, please refer to our Snoring surgery information category.

As you may know, snoring can be a very difficult problem to deal with, and many people perhaps like yourself can’t find a working solution for the problem – even after trying natural methods such as losing weight, changing sleeping postures, etc. Sometimes snoring surgery seems the best, and now you can find procedures done with laser.

Laser snoring surgery has advantages over traditional surgery methods: the procedure lasts much shorter, you will have less chances of complications from excessive bleeding and risk of infection, and the recovery time will be greatly reduced – with many patients returning to work the day after the procedure. But on the other side, you should also know that surgery is not the “ultimate” solution for this problem, it can reduce snoring greatly in a short term, but testimonials point out that in the long term, the effectiveness will reduce. The cost can be also a factor that can play against your decision to undergo surgery, especially when you take into account that most patients will need more than one treatment for it to be considered a success.

There are two options for laser snoring surgery: Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) and Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP).

LAUP is a procedure that involves a partial resection of the uvula and the soft palate. Using a CO2 laser, the palate is gently and slowly scarred and tightened so in the end you will have a much better flow of air. This is the most affordable laser snoring surgery option and the one that causes less discomfort. This perhaps has lead to a generalized use of LAUP for treating snoring and sleep apnea problems. The whole surgery can be performed in as little as 10 minutes in the doctor’s office, with the patient fully conscious thanks to the use of anesthesia. Usually a patient will need 1 – 5 LAUP treatments.

UPPP is a laser snoring surgery that will enlarge the throat and allow a better flow of air. This method is more “aggressive”, involving the removal of tonsils as well as parts of the uvula and the soft palate. This method is considered painful and thus requires the application of generalized anesthesia. Despite being more expensive and painful, it also fails in providing a 100% solution for snoring, however in some cases this can be the only option left.

These are your two options for laser snoring surgery, choosing one will depend on your specific case and your previous success/failure with natural options. In order to have one of these you will need to have a series of consultations with the doctor to assess if you are apt for the treatments.

One of the options people have for snoring surgery is Uvulopalatoplasty Surgery, also called simply LAUP. This procedure has a relative short life-span, created and developed in the 80s by DR. Yves-Victor Kamami, who worked in the Marie-Louise Clinic in Paris as a surgeon.

The goal of this surgery is to remove excess tissue located in the soft palate and at the same time tighten-up the resting tissue in the mouth. Although this is done now with assistance of laser, it can be done also with electrocautery and cold knife techniques. The soft palate is in a way sculpted by creating forms that resemble “trenches” around the uvula and reshaping the uvula itself.

This surgery is performed with anesthesia; however the person remains awake all the time. After it is completed, the doctor will have widened the size of the patient’s airway to increase the airflow and reduce any vibrations in the area that are producing the snoring sound. All the surgical procedure will take about 30 minutes and usually the patient can go home immediately unless the doctor requires the contrary.

Although many people think LAUP is the definitive answer to their problems, the truth is that sometimes a single procedure won’t give the expected results, and subsequent treatments will be needed (with a 4-8 weeks separation). There have been cases where patients have needed up to six surgeries for the treatment to be considered a success. OF course this also adds up in terms of costs.

LAUP is a type of surgery that do not have side effects of a serious nature, but like all surgeries it can have complications, the most common one being excessive bleeding. You need to talk all about this and how you can avoid complications in a private consultation with your surgeon.

LAUP will also require post-surgery care in order to help you recover perfectly from the surgery; the doctor will give you antibiotics and painkillers to speed up the recovery process and you will have to follow a liquid diet for the first days after LAUP. You will also need to take care of your swollen throat by doing things like sleeping at a 45 degree angle to reduce blood flow on the area. If you do physical activities, know that they will be limited for approximately a month.

Uvulopalatoplasty surgery is not a solution aimed to work for everyone; in order to see if it will be helpful in your particular case, you will need consultations with specialized doctors.