The Road To Sleeping Well
The following advice from sleep experts and the National Sleep Foundation will help people reduce or stop primary snoring, but those with sleep apnea can benefit, too.
- Change sleeping positions. Some people are just positional snorers and only snore when they’re on their backs. Some organizations sell T-shirts with a pocket sewn onto the middle of the back where a tennis ball fits. It helps keep the person lying on his or her side.
- Lose weight. Overweight and obesity can be primary causes for primary snoring and sleep apnea. There’s more tissue and fat around the neck area encroaching on the muscles of the throat.
- Fix nasal obstructions and allergies. Some people who have snoring without sleep apnea can sometimes be helped by treating nasal allergies.
- Oral appliances fitted by dentists can sometimes help reduce snoring. But go to a specialist.
- Remove tonsils. In children, snoring is often caused by enlarged tonsils. Removing them is effective in 90 percent of children.
- Consider chin surgery. Some people with shorter chins might benefit from surgery to pull the chin forward to create a bigger airway.
- Look into radiofrequency scarring. This technique, for primary snoring, might benefit some people. The scarring is done on the tissue in the back of the throat. After the scars heal, the tissue won’t flop around as much as it used to. This method doesn’t help sleep apnea.
- Remove the soft palate. In some cases, removing the soft palate (mainly the tonsils and uvula) will stop snoring in adults — but insurance usually does not cover this procedure because it’s considered cosmetic. People with sleep apnea may not benefit from this surgical procedure and it could potentially be dangerous.
Consider implants. Silicone beads called palatable implants can be injected into the soft palate to stiffen it up in people with primary snoring. Again, insurance most likely will not cover the procedure because it’s considered cosmetic.
(info by La Rue Novick from http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203~24505~2969459,00.html)