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Snoring and Nasal Obstruction
Specialty Care
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Sleep. It's one of the most critical components of good health and the one health habit we cannot control.
If you or your bed partner suffers from snoring, sleep apnea, or other obstructive sleep disorder, Sutter Health offers help. For many of our patients, relief may be available through office treatments performed under local anesthesia, which require little or no time off and no complicated apparatus.
Common Sleep Disorders
The two most common disorders we see are loud snoring and sleep apnea. Sleep apnea often appears as snoring but is a condition that causes the patient to stop breathing during sleep. This happens when the muscles of the throat relax too much and block the air passage. The sleeper must partially wake up momentarily to get the throat muscles working again, causing a poor night's sleep. Many with sleep apnea do not know they are not sleeping soundly or that they could be at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.
A Checklist of Symptoms
People suffering from disruptive sleep problems exhibit symptoms that may include:- Snoring
- Gasping for air during sleep
- Pauses in breathing during sleep
- General feeling of tiredness
- Drowsiness when driving or sitting still
- Falling asleep instantly when lying down
- Morning headaches
- Memory or concentration problems
- Body jerks or movement during sleep
Even a single symptom can indicate the presence of a sleep disorder.
Finding the Cause
When you come to the Snoring & Obstructive Sleep Disorder Center, our physicians will conduct a complete interview and examination to determine the severity of the problem and its cause. Some cases require studies through the Sutter Sleep Lab, but many do not. Once a diagnosis has been established, we’ll suggest a treatment option that combines the highest rate of expected success with the greatest convenience.
Treatment Options
There are several treatment options available that can be used independently or in combination.
Lifestyle Changes
Some sleep disorders can be corrected with simple changes in habits, such as sleeping on the side, eliminating alcohol in the evenings, or establishing a different sleep schedule. Weight loss and exercise programs may also help eliminate obstructive sleep problems.
Medical and Surgical Treatments
New treatment options include recently introduced techniques that use lasers or radio waves to shrink tissue that may obstruct airflow. These simple, in-office treatments have proven highly effective with very little discomfort. When obstructive sleep disorders are found to be caused by nasal abnormalities, more traditional surgeries may be recommended.
Additional medical options include pharmaceutical drugs and sprays for the nose or swollen membranes.
Dental and Medical Appliances
Many patients get relief from snoring and minor sleep apnea using a dental appliance that causes the jaw and tongue to remain in the correct position. Other patients use a continuous positive airflow pressure (CPAP) apparatus that causes air to move freely into the lungs.
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