Snoring Specialist
-
- Tweet
Jacksonville ENT Surgery
Otolaryngology & Medical Spa located in Jacksonville, FL & Lake City, FL
Most people occasionally snore, but 24% of women and 40% of men are frequent, habitual snorers. And that’s often the sign of an underlying condition, possibly one as serious as sleep apnea. At Jacksonville ENT Surgery, Charles Greene, MD, PhD, and Tara Condrey, PA-C, determine the cause of your snoring and create individualized treatment plans that stop the snoring and restore normal breathing. If your partner or housemate complains about your snoring, take it seriously. Book an appointment online today or call one of the three offices in Jacksonville, Florida, or Lake City, Florida.
Snoring Q & A
What causes snoring?
Your tongue and the soft palate in the back of your mouth consist of muscles that naturally relax when you sleep. As these tissues relax, they fall toward your throat and partially cover the airway.
When you breathe, the air flows past the tissues and makes them vibrate. That vibration creates the noise known as snoring. Your snoring gets louder as more of the airway is covered by soft tissues.
Snoring is caused by a number of factors including the anatomy of your mouth, excessive weight, and conditions that cause nasal obstruction, including:
- Colds
- Allergies
- Chronic sinusitis
- Nasal polyps
- Enlarged turbinates
- Deviated septum
- Nasal valve collapse
In children, enlarged tonsils and adenoids often result in snoring.
Does snoring affect my health?
Snoring alone, especially occasional soft snoring, doesn’t threaten your health. But snoring often represents an underlying problem, and loud snoring is the most common symptom of sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissues completely cover your airway and you briefly stop breathing while you sleep. Most people don’t know they snore or that they stop breathing, but sleep apnea causes other symptoms, including:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Morning headache or sore throat
- Difficulty concentrating during the day
- Memory problems
- Irritability during the day
Untreated sleep apnea leads to serious conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
How is snoring treated?
Treatment for snoring includes weight loss (if needed) and taking care of the condition that’s responsible for your congestion and blockages. Depending on the underlying condition, you may need decongestants, steroid sprays, antibiotics, and immunotherapy. You may need surgery to remove polyps or repair a deviated septum.
If your snoring is caused by problems with the nasal valve or enlarged tissues inside your nose, you may be a good candidate for nonsurgical treatment with VivAer®.
The nasal valve is an area inside your nose that controls airflow. Snoring and chronic congestion occurs when the valve collapses or narrows. VivAer uses heat-controlled radiofrequency energy to gently reshape the valve and other tissues, effectively opening the airway.
If your snoring is severe and you have obstructive sleep apnea, you may need a different type of treatment. Jacksonville ENT Surgery recommends continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), an oral device, or surgery to stiffen the tissues at the back of your throat.
Don’t wait to get help for snoring. Call Jacksonville ENT Surgery today or book an appointment online.
