F
requently Asked Questions What causes snoring?
- The noises of snoring are generated within the breathing
passages.
The sounds are caused by the vibration
or flapping of the soft palate and uvula resulting from turbulent air.
The noisy breathing is produced from high velocity air
moving in a narrowed passageway giving the hissing noise.
The fast moving airflow in a narrowed airway also draws the soft
palate and uvula into the airway to further blocking the airflow.
Snoring is the sound produced from the vibration of the soft palate
and uvula.
The tongue may fall back into the airway
narrowing the airway and at times causing blockage. This may also contribute
to the snoring noise.
It is most important to stress that snoring, in most
patients, is due to multiple factors, each playing some part in the snoring
process. Factors which are important in this regard include narrowing or
blockage of the upper airway passages through anatomical or injury reasons
as well as factors contributing to congestion of the soft tissues of the
airways, e.g. smoking, alcohol, acid reflux from the stomach affecting the
throat tissues, obesity, ageing and hormonal factors.
Only the SnorØ®
using the Myorehapy
can neutralize these factors to mitigate snoring.
Is Snoring Dangerous?
-
For years snoring was regarded as a mere
social annoyance. Recent
research has shown even an occasional snoring is dangerous to your health.
Snoring has been link to some of the most fearful diseases such as
stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
Where snoring is accompanied by significant sleep apnea, additional
health risks may occur.
Is there any non-surgical help for snoring?
-
Snoring
may be assisted by certain dental devices which bring the jaw forward.
This may appeared to help initially but as the muscles in the throat
area continue to get weak, this appliance will lose its effectiveness and
snoring returns. Another dental
appliance called tongue retention device used to trap the tongue in a
compartment so that the tongue cannot slide backward.
Any
dental device is quite uncomfortable to wear in sleep.
It has been proven that Nasal appliances do not assist with snoring
although they may give slight assistance with nasal airflow.
There are also exercises claimed to help snoring but none of them
developed by a physician who understands the nature of snoring and
obstructive sleep apnea.
What operations reduce snoring?
-
There are several surgical procedures thought to reduce
snoring. The procedure
would be recommended after a diagnostic workup.
This usually involved spending sometime in the sleep laboratory,
evaluation by a sleep specialist, scoping of your throat, and other tests
deemed necessary to obtain the cause of your snoring.
Surgery may include nasal, palatal or tongue and neck surgery. The
surgical procedure will depend on the location of the tissues contributing
to snoring.
Nasal surgery may include improving the nasal airway by
straightening the nasal septum (mid line nasal cartilage partition),
shrinking the lining tissue of the nose, particularly where this has been
troubled by allergy or by the removal of nasal polyps. Previous nasal injury
involving the external nose and the nasal septum may require correction.
However, this surgery had not proved valuable to reduce snoring.
The flapping of the soft palate in
snoring may be partially removed by palatoplasty involving either high
frequency radio wave or C02 laser surgery. Newer procedures for more severe
forms of snoring including radio wave shrinkage of the back of the tongue as
well as procedures to bring the tongue tissues forward.
The removal of excess neck fat through
liposuction or liposhaving techniques has been used to treat snoring.
How effective is surgery?
-
Before you consider surgery, you must understand 2 facts:
Risks of surgery and expected outcome.
Surgery risks for patients who have snoring and obstructive sleep
apnea is much more dangerous than others.
The reason is the anesthesia insult on the already weakened throat
musculature. The anesthesia
literally paralyzes the throat muscles to the point of total collapse.
Closing off the airway.
The surgical outcome is not only determined by the success
of the surgery, but the success of eliminating snoring and obstructive sleep
apnea. One vital factor to
determine the success of eliminating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea is
identifying precisely the causative factors.
It is almost improbable to determine the exact cause due to the
dynamic changes in response to the sleep stage and position of sleep.
This is the reason for such low success rate.
Surgical success varies with surgical procedures.
Some reported at best 57% in short term success, long term success
fared far less. Others reported
no significant change.
What is obstructive sleep apnea?
How do I know if I have obstructive sleep apnea?
- If you wake up several times during the night for no apparent reason,
are tired in the morning, and have daytime sleepiness. Chances are
high that you have sleep apnea. The only reliable way to detect sleep
apnea is by conducting a sleep test in the laboratory.
Can sleep apnea be cured?
-
Other
than the SnorØ®
, there is no reliable treatment to cure this
condition. Obstructive Sleep
Apnea can be managed only by the use of CPAP breathing apparatus. In
patients who are unable to tolerate this, then in certain instances nasal
and oral pharyngeal surgery may be recommended
How effective is the SnorØ®?
How does the SnorØ®
work?
How long will it take before I see improvement?
Will this totally cure my snoring and sleep apnea?
Is this treatment therapy difficult to learn?
Does this treatment cause any discomfort?
How long does it take to do each day?
If you don't find your questions answered here, feel free to
email us anytime.
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