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Are you one of those people who have shrugged off snoring as something inconsequential? Or are you the loved one staying awake for hours on end because of your snoring partner? No matter which category you fall in, you would realize that snoring is very common and very irksome. It is not only embarrassing in certain cases but can even have serious consequences health wise.

This doesn’t mean that you should run off to get surgery and solve the problem once and for all. Always remember that surgery is the last option and you must give non-surgical options a shot before going further. These non-surgical options include losing weight, not consuming alcohol before you go to sleep, nasal strips et al. Some other useful and proven non-surgical treatments that you may want to try can be found here.

If you have tried them all to no avail, you can go to a sleep clinic and get your sleep evaluation done. Doctors will identify the source of your snoring and suggest remedies according to their findings. Here are some medical treatments you could opt for –

1. Decongestants – If you have any allergy, then your nasal tract can swell and get irritated and the same goes for infection. Your doctor would prescribe that you take a decongestant because you sleep. That will reduce swelling and diminish the snoring eventually. Of course, this is for sudden snoring cases and not for the chronic ones.

2. CPAP – CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure and is a commonly used device to counteract snoring. It’s basically a mask that covers your nose and has a high pressure that keeps your airway free and clean while you sleep. This mask is connected to a tube which, in turn, is connected to a machine that is the size of a shoe box.

It is very safe and takes care of all your obstructions, no matter which area they are localized to.

3. Surgery – If all else fails, only then should you turn towards surgery. This is because there are many risks associated with it and even after that, there is no guarantee. The following surgical options could be explored –

• Somnoplasty and Coblation Chanelling – Somnoplasty uses low radiofrequency waves to reduce excess tissue which your body would later reabsorb. It is a quick, relatively painless and bloodless procedure. Coblation Chanelling uses the same radiofrequency energy. The only difference is that it uses both shrinking and heating of tissue to clear airways.

• Uvulopalathopharyngoplasty – This can be done with or without laser where excessive soft palate and uvula is removed so that the airway gets expanded. However, laser removal requires multiple sessions.

• Nasal Surgery – Some people have a deviated septum and a simple nasal surgery can correct that by removing blockage and obstructions from your nose. This would stop that snoring.

There are many other surgical options like injection of sclerosing liquid amongst others. You should always remember that even after surgery, snoring is known to return. Also, surgeries are known to be ineffective but once done, they cannot be reversed. So, always be careful before you choose surgery.

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