If your snoring is putting a strain on your relationship, don't despair: there are treatment options that can help you to sleep more quietly and peacefully. Snoring can be a sign of a serious health condition called sleep apnea, so it is a good idea to take steps to address it. Here are a few treatment options you can try.
1. Change Sleeping Position
If you have not already tried changing your sleeping position, this simple approach could be an easy way to stop snoring. Many people are more likely to snore if they sleep on their back. Sleeping on your side can help to keep your airway more open, preventing snoring. Use pillows to stop yourself rolling onto your back during the night.
2. Stop Smoking
Smoking causes inflammation in the airways, which can lead to snoring in some people. If you smoke, try giving up for a while to see if it helps with your snoring problem.
3. Lose Weight
Being overweight puts more pressure on your airway, which can cause it to partially close while you sleep. In some heavier people, this closure is sufficiently serious to be regarded as a medical condition, known as sleep apnea. As well as causing you to snore, sleep apnea can also lead to disturbed sleep, as your brain repeatedly jolts you out of deep sleep during the night so you can draw in the oxygen you need.
If you suffer from tiredness or daytime sleepiness despite spending plenty of time in bed at night, it is likely that you have sleep apnea. ENT specialists recommend weight loss as a primary treatment for this condition.
4. Oral Appliance Therapy
Oral appliance therapy (OAT) involves wearing a plastic mouthpiece while you sleep to hold your tongue in place and keep your airway fully open. Laboratory technicians custom design these mouthpieces to exactly fit the shape of your mouth, which means they are comfortable to wear while sleeping. You only need to wear the mouthpiece at night.
5. Sinus Surgery
If other approaches to snoring treatment fail, your ENT might suggest sinus surgery. The most common type of sinus surgery used to treat snoring is functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), in which a thin, flexible tube is used to guide the surgical tools into your sinuses to trim away excess tissue that is causing you to snore. Recovery from FESS is much faster than other types of sinus surgery.
To learn more about sinus surgery and other types of snoring treatments, reach out to a local ENT professional.
