Recently a local TV station ran a report on snoring. Snoring stories make good TV reports. You always can find someone who has a spouse that snores who will tell you their marriage was failing apart because of their sleep disturbance. Add this to the fact that snoring is medically dangerous and interferes with job safety and you have the basis for a good TV story. 

Snoring is dangerous because while you are snoring you don't breath well. This means that not enough oxygen gets into your blood. Decreased blood-oxygen levels can lead to heart attacks. Some authorities link snoring to deaths that occur while sleeping.

These stories do public service because they publicize a serious problem and can lead some patients to the correct treatment. But often snorers get the wrong treatment. This is bad because some snorers spend a lot of money or even undergo unnecessary surgery to try and correct their problem.

There are many conditions such as snoring for which there are a variety of different treatments. Some kinds of treatment work for some patients and other patients require a different approach. Anyone who treats snoring needs to have a plan for their patients in case the initial treatment is unsuccessful.

A sleep study is the best way to determine if snoring is medically dangerous for a particular patient. These studies are expensive (about $1200-1800) and not necessary for all patients. Research is ongoing to reduce the cost of this study. These studies can tell how much a patient's snoring interferes with their breathing.

Sleep studies can be much more expensive than snoring treatment. A practical approach is advisable for light snorers that evaluates the result of simple treatment before deciding if a sleep study is necessary.

I believe that early treatment should be non-invasive. That means that one should try simple and inexpensive treatment first. Patients should be directed to expensive and complex treatment such as surgery only after inexpensive non-surgical treatment has been shown ineffective.

In my practice patients are interviewed about their snoring habits. I talk to their sleep partners because snorers are asleep when they practice their mayhem and aren’t reliable about what they do while asleep. 

Positional-snorers are patients that snore in only one position generally when they are sleeping on their back. If you get these patients to sleep on their sides or stomach they stop snoring. Positional-snorers in my practice get to try my un-patented “sleep re-positioner”. I ask them to sew a pocket in their sleep garment midway between their shoulders about 12-14 inches above their waist. They insert a tennis ball into this pocket and sew it shut. I defy anyone to sleep more than a few minutes on their back while wearing one of these devices.

The first steps for non-positional snorers to try are breathing strips. These strips are also useful for positional snorers regardless if they are helped by the tennis ball technique. Breathing strips are specially designed pieces of adhesive tape used to hold open the nostrils to permit freer breathing. Some athletes also use them because they help their breathing during sporting endeavors.

Next in line to try would be dental snoring devices. These are devices that that are made by a dentist to position the jaw to open up the breathing passages. They are quite successful with light to medium snoring. They are portable and don't require a power source. One additional advantage is that they are inexpensive and if the device doesn't working nothing irreversible has been done.

Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) breathing machines can help medium to heavy snorers. Theses devices have a face mask that is strapped on and force air into the lungs. They are very effective. However, they are uncomfortable, noisy and require a power source. They're somewhat portable but you can't take them camping.

 The last choice is surgery. Oral, throat or nose surgery have been used to help snoring. There are many different techniques that include tradition surgery, laser surgery and radio-wave surgery. Surgical procedures are irreversible and of course can't be guaranteed to work.

Some patients find that need to use a CPAP or dental device after surgery.

A lot can be done to help the social and medical problems associated with snoring. It is best to consult with a dentist or physician who is knowledgeable in ALL areas of treatment.