Snoring And Surgery
Surgery may seem an extreme method to control or cure
a person's snoring, but if snoring is actually hurting their
life, it may be the only method that will work for them.
Snoring can cause a huge amount of problems for people and has even
been known to break up relationships because the snorers partner
cannot cope with the incessant lack of sleep they have to endure.
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It's important though before even thinking about
surgery that all other options have been explored. Included in
these options are lifestyle changes that can be made which may have
the desired effect. This usually entails looking at the weight
and body mass of that person and also whether they consume large
amounts of alcohol. These are very real trigger factors for snoring.
Alcohol can be a real problem for snorers as this relaxes the
muscles surrounding the airways. Unfortunately this can cause
snoring to become worse than it normally is and even lead to a
condition known as sleep apnea.
The weight of the person is important, because it is
often found that fatty tissue around the neck area constricts the
air passages which make the snoring worse. |
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If surgery is to be considered, then a form of surgery that can be
used to control snoring is uvulopalatoplasty, or LAUP. LAUP is a
relatively new procedure and has been found to be effective in
reducing the snoring in most of the people treated.
A hand held gun is used in LAUP treatment. It
removes any excess tissue from the soft palate and uvula.
Because this operation makes your actual airways wider, the
vibrations which cause the snoring are decreased.
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Luckily it’s a relatively simple procedure
and can be done by a surgeon under a local anesthetic. The
operation itself takes about 30 minutes and the patient does
not have to be admitted to hospital unless the surgeon is
concerned about any after effects that may occur.
Unfortunately it is not always a success the first time, and
some people who have a very severe snoring problem find they
have to go back for a subsequent treatment. It has even been
known for some people to need up to six treatments before
the operation can be considered a success. If more
treatments are needed, then they are usually carried out
four-six weeks apart. Obviously the more treatments that are
needed, the more expensive the treatment becomes.
The beauty of LAUP, means there are no serious side effects
to worry about. |
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Obviously the patient will have a very sore
mouth and throat area for a number of days afterwards, but
once this has healed, the benefits can be enormous. This
includes both the patient and their spouse and family
actually managing to have a good nights sleep, thus leading
to increased fitness levels not to mention relieving the
emotional stress that snoring can cause.
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