Snoring happens when the air you breathe in through your nose and/or mouth makes tissues in your airway vibrate, which produces the noise known as snoring.

The soft tissues involved in snoring often include your tongue, uvula, and soft palate in the back of your mouth. 

Many factors contribute to snoring. Some of the most common include:

Any problem that causes nasal congestion can lead to snoring. Two of the most common are enlarged turbinates and nasal polyps.

In addition to nasal congestion, colds and allergies can cause swelling in your throat and nose.

Alcohol relaxes your throat muscles, so drinking alcohol close to bedtime causes snoring and worsens existing snoring.

When you’re overweight, you may have excess fat in the tissues surrounding your throat or in your tongue. This fat narrows the airway and increases the risk of the tissues collapsing and blocking airflow.

Snoring alone does cause some damage to your throat and does increase your risk of atherosclerosis and chances of stroke. Loud snoring is the top symptom of obstructive sleep apnea.

When you have sleep apnea, you temporarily stop breathing when your airway becomes completely blocked. You can stop breathing up to 30 times every hour while you sleep. 

Untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious health complications, such as high blood pressure and heart arrhythmias.

A physical exam can reveal any problems in your nose, mouth, or throat. In some cases, you may need additional diagnostic imaging or a sleep study. During a home sleep study, you wear sensors that record your breathing rate and oxygen levels.

Your treatment is based on the cause of your snoring. Your treatment plan may include lifestyle changes, upper airway surgery, oral appliance therapy, or noninvasive laser treatment.

Snoring & Sleep Apnea Center specializes in laser snoring treatment using the NightLase® procedure by Fotona. This gentle laser tightens and thickens the treated soft tissues in your mouth without causing any harm.

Once the tissues are treated, your airway opening is larger, and the tissues don’t fall into the airway. As a result, your snoring significantly diminishes or stops. 

After three treatment sessions with NightLase, your results last up to two years. Then you can repeat the treatment once annually to maintain your results.

The mild NightLase treatment doesn’t require anesthesia. You may feel a warm sensation; otherwise, you won’t have any discomfort during your treatment.

Laser snoring treatment seldom causes side effects, and you have little-to-no post-op pain. Some patients have a minor sore throat that subsides in a few days.

When you schedule NightLase to treat your snoring, you can walk in, have your treatment, then leave and go straight back to work or return to your normal routine.

One session takes only about 20 minutes, and your total laser snoring treatment is done in three sessions spaced over six weeks. Your results can last 1-2 years. 

To learn more about oral appliance therapy or Nightlase, call the Snoring & Sleep Apnea Center to schedule an appointment today!