What Is The Best Cure For Snoring

Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 2:22 pm

Snorers will find that there are many products and therapies to select from in the search for the best cure for snoring. There are mouth guards that can reduce snoring, nasal devices and dilators, a snoring chin strap, anti-snoring pillows, hypnosis and exercise therapies.

Before trying any stop snoring therapies it is important to eliminate the possibility of the potentially dangerous condition of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea must be diagnosed by a a doctor or by attending a sleep laboratory or clinic.

It is also necessary to take care of any underlying health concerns that may have a bearing on your snoring.

Another option that can be considered by a snorer is to undergo surgery for the problem. Under some circumstances this can be the best cure for snoring and although the results may often prove to be disappointing there are several different types of surgery that can be performed.

Palatopharyngoplasty, also simply referred to as PPP is surgery that is performed to enlarge the airway at the back of the throat. The operation may involve the shortening the uvula, partial removal of the soft palate and removal of tonsils and adenoids. This is designed to increase the airflow and reduce the amount of vibratory tissue in the throat.

This procedure may only be a temporary method of ending snoring. According to research studies, within two years only fifty percent of the patients that have undergone this surgery report having their snoring stopped or markedly improved.

A less expensive alternative to palatopharyngoplasty is laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty – or LAUP – that employs laser technology to shorten the uvula as well as vaporize parts of the soft palate. Though palatopharyngoplasty must be performed under general anesthetic, uvulopalatoplasty can be performed as day surgery under local anesthetic.

The effectiveness of the LAUP procedure may be marginally better than PPP, however, many patients report that snoring returned within two years or so after surgery, though there are also studies that show marked improvement in the patient’s snoring.

A third type of surgery is cautery-assisted uvulopalatoplasty in which the surgeon uses cautery equipment in place of lasers and a heated wire or electrode is used to burn or scar most or all of the uvula and palate. The effectiveness of this treatment is similar to that of other surgical procedure for snoring and this operation is easy to carry out and is possibly less painful.

It should be noted, however, that most patients report severe post operative pain with any of these surgical procedures so surgery may not be the best cure for snoring.

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