Several Tips May Alleviate Snorer's Woes

People snore when the airways in the nose and throat get too small, so the air rushing in and out as they inhale and exhale gets funneled through a narrower passageway. The noise is mainly from the vibration of loose tissue, often the soft palate, the slender piece of tissue in the back of the throat. Some people are snorers because they have too much throat and nasal tissue.

Others have floppy tissue that's more likely to vibrate. The tongue can get in the way of smooth breathing. And being overweight is a cause: Extra fat tissue in the neck and throat sometimes restricts airways. The causes of snoring and sleep apnea overlap. But when someone has sleep apnea, the airway gets blocked completely - or very nearly so. All the little interruptions in breathing can lead to a lack of oxygen that puts a strain on the heart. That's why people with sleep apnea have a higher risk for heart attack and failure.

If you sleep on your back, switch to your side. When you're on your back, your tongue and other soft tissues in the back of the throat tend to slide back, creating a narrower airway. Avoid drinking alcohol in the evening; it is a muscle relaxant and it may be affecting the muscles around your airways. Dental "appliances" that look like the mouth guards worn by athletes can reposition the jaw and the tongue.

If none of this helps or is relevant, there are several operations that can help snorers. Doctors can laser away excess tissue, or shrink it with instruments that deliver high-frequency radio waves. These procedures are reasonably effective, but the sore throat during the recovery period can be pretty painful. A new procedure that's the better choice for many snorers involves inserting slender plastic implants that are less than an inch long into the soft palate.

Scar tissue forms around the implants, which stiffens up the tissue so it doesn't vibrate and make noise. Local anesthesia means there's little, if any, pain. It's done in the doctor's office, takes about 10 minutes and costs about $2,000.

Alvaro Castillo has been writing reports for 10 years on healthy sleep habits and stress with positive results. For more information check out his website at www.mynighttimehealth.com