What is snoring?
Snoring is the sound produced when the flow of air from the nose or mouth to the lungs makes the throat tissues vibrate when sleeping. This can make a loud, raspy noise that can disturb both “the sufferer” and the bed partner. People who snore can also have sleep apnoea, which means they stop breathing at times during sleep. Habitual snoring can prevent the snorer and those around them from achieving good quality sleep. Snoring can be a warning symptom not only related to Sleep Apnoea but other health problems like high blood pressure and heart disease. Over 40% of adults in the UK - men about twice as likely as women- snore, and approximately 2 in each 10 snorers is affected by sleep apnoea.
Does snoring affect my health?
Snoring is not a disease but a complex symptom.
About 40 percent of adult men and 25 percent of adult women in the world are habitual snorers which means they snore as often as 3 to 4 times a week.
The sound caused generally by the persistent vibration of the palate and surrounding structures (tonsils, tongue etc.) generates the noise around the palate, nasal and throat structures. The vibration progressively affects the throat nerves and muscles contributing to the collapse of the airway that causes sleep apnoea.
Snoring can’t be 100% cured but can be successfully reduced to improve health and wellbeing.
Can snoring be cured?
Snoring can be treated and controlled only after the reason of the snoring has been fully established. Not every person snores for the same reason and therefore there is no standard or single treatment to tackle snoring. For example, if the snoring is produced by the nose structures, the pitch and intensity is different than when it comes from the palate or the throat.
Am I a candidate for snoring surgery?
Snoring surgery is not just a single procedure but a combination of different minimally invasive procedures and techniques to achieve the best individual outcome.
Palatoplasty and pharyngoplasty are amongst the most popular surgical procedures in which the main goal is to stabilize the palate and/or the pharyngeal walls to help in reducing the snoring and the apnoea episodes when appropriately indicated.
How is the operation done?
There are several procedures to tackle snoring often so called Snoreplasties.
A procedure called palatopharyngoplasty is often performed by threading the palate and surrounding tissues with a suture called barbed suture so the palate can be treated in a tailored manner according to each patient needs.
The uvula is also remodelled and reconstructed so that the function of the palate is well preserved.
The tonsils (if present) are shaved or removed by using a high-technology procedure called coblation that reduces the pain and post-operative swelling therefore reducing the down time.
Other complimentary procedures are often multi-stage operations and can be more complex and need to be carried out at four-to-six-week intervals after nasal surgery or palatoplasties.
What to expect after snoring surgery
Like any surgery under general anaesthesia, there is a down time you should consider before you can go back to work.
There are 5 main determinants of success after snoring and sleep apnoea surgical procedures. This shall be re assessed by the specialist right after the 2nd month of the surgical procedure.
- Partner or patient satisfaction
- Clinical response to the treatment (reduced snoring and apnoea events per night)
- Reduction of somnolence
- Reduction of associated symptoms (headaches, tiredness, anxiety)
- Improvement in overall quality of life
