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How to Stop Snoring Without Surgery

Snoring Man with Wife 4.25.18Snoring might seem harmless, but it can indicate that you have a sleep disorder, like sleep apnea. When you snore on a regular basis, it can also affect your sleep quality and prevent your spouse or significant other from getting a good night’s sleep as well. If you’re worried about having to undergo surgery to correct this problem, keep in mind that there are non-surgical treatment options available.

What are Common Causes of Snoring?

When snoring occurs, it’s due to the vibration of tissue in your throat while you sleep. You can have temporary snoring from a cold or sinus problems, or you can end up with chronic snoring from allergies, having a narrow airway, sleeping in a certain position or getting poor sleep. Your risk of snoring is higher if you are overweight or obese, have chronic nasal problems or have a family history of sleep apnea. Also, if your tonsils or adenoids are larger, you have an increased risk of snoring.

What are Warning Signs of Snoring?

It can be difficult to know whether or not you have a chronic snoring problem. In some cases, family members might tell you that they hear you snoring at night. If you suspect that you have a snoring problem and don’t have anyone around to let you know for sure, there are certain symptoms to watch for, including:

  • Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat
  • Feeling sleepy or tired during the day
  • Having a harder time making decisions and handling other cognitive tasks
  • Waking up suddenly during the night gasping
  • Having a headache when you wake up

Are there Non-surgical Treatment Options for Snoring?

Snoring occurs due to problems with your upper airway. While there are surgical procedures to open up this airway more and prevent it from becoming too narrow - they carry the risk of complications - such as bleeding and infections. Non-surgical treatment options for snoring include using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask, wearing an oral appliance and making lifestyle changes, like losing weight.

In some cases, lifestyle changes aren’t enough to completely stop snoring. Wearing a CPAP mask can help, but not everyone has success with this type of treatment. Oral appliance therapy provides an alternative option for those who can’t wear a CPAP mask and do not want to undergo surgery. This type of treatment involves wearing a customized appliance at night that helps reduce snoring.

What are the Benefits of Non-surgical Treatment?

Non-surgical treatments for snoring provide safer ways to stop this from occurring on a regular basis. When you use oral appliance therapy or another form of non-surgical treatment, you don’t have to worry about infections, nerve damage, tissue damage, bleeding or other complications. Instead, you can depend on having a more comfortable way to handle snoring problems. Keep in mind that chronic snoring puts you at risk of developing other health issues, so it’s important overall to deal with this problem.

Good Candidates for Treatment:

Not everyone makes a good candidate for non-surgical treatments for snoring. Some people can’t use CPAP masks comfortably or safely, for example. Oral appliance therapy can be used instead to help stop snoring. Good candidates for oral appliance therapy are those who have a chronic snoring problem and are looking for alternative options to surgery and CPAP masks.

If you need more information on oral appliance therapy for snoring, please contact eos dental sleep to make an appointment. We can provide you with individualized treatment that offers an alternative to surgery and CPAP use to stop snoring.