If you or someone close to you snores there are many products and devices to choose from when looking for the best cure for snoring. There are snoring mouth guards, nasal devices and dilators, snoring chin straps, anti-snoring pillows, exercise therapies, and even hypnosis.
It is important to eliminate the possibility of the potentially life-threatening condition of sleep apnea before using any stop snoring therapies. Sleep apnea must be diagnosed by a a doctor or by attending a sleep laboratory or clinic.
It is important to address any underlying health concerns that may be a cause of your snoring.
Another option that is available to a person who snores is to undertake surgery. Occasionally this may provide the best cure for snoring and, although the results may often prove to be disappointing, there are several different types of surgery that can be performed.
Palatopharyngoplasty – or PPP – is a surgical procedure designed to enlarge the airway in the tonsillar area. The operation may involve the shortening the uvula, partial removal of the soft palate and removal of tonsils and adenoids. This is designed to increase the amount of airflow and reduce the amount of vibrating tissue in the throat.
This procedure may only provide a temporary means of ending snoring. Some research studies suggest that within two years only forty percent of snorers that have undergone this surgery continue to report having their snoring stopped or definitely lessened.
A less expensive alternative to palatopharyngoplasty is laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) that makes use of laser techniques to shorten the uvula as well as vaporize parts of the soft palate. Though palatopharyngoplasty must be performed under general anesthetic, uvulopalatoplasty can be performed under local anesthetic.
The effectiveness of LAUP may be marginally better than PPP although many patients have reported that snoring returned within two years or so after surgery, though there are also studies that show marked improvement in the patient’s snoring.
A third type of surgery is cautery-assisted uvulopalatoplasty whereby the surgeon uses cauterizing equipment in lieu of a laser and a heated wire or electrode is used to burn or scar most or all of the uvula and palate. The effectiveness of this form of treatment is similar to other surgical operations for snoring and this procedure is easy to perform and may be less painful.
It is worth noting, however, that most patients report severe post operative pain with any of these surgical procedures so surgery may not be the best cure for snoring.
