Laser Surgery to cure snoring and sleep apnea
Snoring can often cause the person or partner of those immediately around them to have such disturbed sleep that, if unchecked, can cause serious social and medical consequences.
Recent figures suggest that 30% of men and 10% of women are affected by their own snoring, and that’s before you consider the effect that sleepless nights can have on their partners.
As well as affecting marriages and sex lives, snoring can also lead to daytime tiredness which makes it difficult to function at work.
Sleep Apnea
Snoring can be a sign of a condition called Sleep Apnea, where breathing stops several times in sleep. If this happens, you automatically wake up as the drop in your blood oxygen rouses your body to start breathing again. But the sleep/arousal cycle is repeated during the night so you get up feeling fatigue and continually tired.
In fact, people with this condition are seven to 12 times more likely to make accidents while driving because of sleep deprivation. It can also increase the risk of irregular heartbeat and even heart attacks.
Breathing disturbances and reduction of oxygen in the blood can lead to erectile dysfunction and impotence affecting your sex life too.
Why do we snore
The unmistakable noise happens when floppy tissue at the back of the throat blocks the upper air passages. Turbulent airflow creates quite violent vibrations of the soft palate, the mouth, nose and throat. It is caused by…
– Obstruction by the tongue if it drops back
– Nasal blockage due to allergy, polyp, and sinusitis
– Nasal septal deviation
– Large, floppy soft palate or uvula or enlarged Tonsils
You may have sleep apnea if…
– You snore really loudly and wake up from sleep several times at night.
– Feel as though you are choking or short of breath while sleeping.
– Feel fatigue in the morning with headaches.
– Are excessively tired all day.
-high blood pressure and other cardiac problems.
Help yourself to stop snoring-
Tips
(1) Lose excess weight. If you are obese, you may not have the muscle tone needed to keep the airway open enough to allow normal breathing at night, so it’s more likely to vibrate, causing snoring. If you are obese, start dieting and do regular exercise.
(2) Stay off the booze. Alcohol causes nasal irritation, increasing airway resistance.
(3) Stop smoking.Smoking irritates nasal cavity and throat linings, causing swelling, catarrh and cutting airflow.
(4) Keep airways open. A blocked nose or collapsing nostrils encourage mouth-breathing, which may lead to air vibrating on the soft tissue at the back of the mouth. Try nasal decongestants.
(5) Prevent obstructions. Sleeping on your side may help
(6)Avoid taking sleeping pills, tranquilizers and sedatives at night.
Treatment
Various antisnoring devices are available in the market but of no avail. Using CPAP or getting surgery done is the only option one have.
– A CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) unit: This device consists of a mask and machine, to be worn at night which keeps airways open while sleeping . It is now available in India. It is expensive, cost you around Rs one lakh. Also it is cumbersome to wear every night and live on it.
– Surgery: There are a number of new surgical procedures, depending on the cause of your snoring.
LAUP – Laser Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty. It can be done under local anesthetic if patient is cooperative, but in those with strong gag reflex and those who are obese, it is done under general anesthetic.
The CO2 laser is used to remove the uvula and trim the soft palate. Average patient will experience a sore throat while eating for seven to ten days, but speaking is not affected.. Snoring is eliminated or significantly reduced in most patients after LAUP. 80-90% improvement is guaranteed in most patients.
LAPT-Laser Assisted Partial Turbinectomy: If your nose tends to block up at night, this can increase a tendency to snore. LAPT can reduce enlarged fleshy ridges or ‘turbinates’in the nasal cavity, or correct a deviated nasal septum.
For Appointment- call 04712334564, 6452020,407822 Fax-0471-2330925
Email: drpaulose@yahoo.com
