Commentary: Treatments for Severe Snoring

Dec. 12 -- Very loud snoring can often be heard from another room, and possibly even from another apartment.

Relatively frequently, there are patients whose motivation to see their physician comes from neighbors complaining of their snoring. It is understandable, since people's snores have been measured to be as loud as 90 decibels — roughly the equivalent of a jet at takeoff.

There are also studies suggesting that snorers have a higher incidence of hearing loss — possibly due to listening to their own snoring. I would estimate that eight out of 10 couples consulting our center for snoring sleep apart because of the disturbance to the non-snoring partner, and snoring is often cited as a reason in many divorces.

Snoring can be frustrating to a sleep partner, sometimes even evoking anger and violence. Snorers often tell me that they're coming in to get their sore ribs fixed because their sleep partner keeps poking them with an elbow in an attempt to quell the noise. Some snorers end up with pillows thrust over the faces or rolled off of the bed onto the floor before getting their walking papers to the living room couch.

Snoring Treatments

There are 101 home remedies for snoring, ranging from wrapping a scarf around the nose and mouth to using certain drinks or sprays. Most don't work. The first line of treatment may be as simple as avoiding sleeping in the supine position, losing weight, or avoiding sedatives and alcohol prior to bedtime. Using decongestants, nasal steroid sprays, and other allergy treatments to relieve nasal congestion also may help.

Accepted medical treatments for snoring are limited to oral appliances and upper airway surgery. There are many different oral appliances on the market, ranging from do-it-yourself models that can be self-molded in boiling water and costing $20 to more sophisticated models that dentists make.

Studies suggest that they "decrease" snoring in most cases, but in life it is difficult to know in which patients they will prove effective.