This document discusses snoring, its causes, and potential treatments. It is authored by Dr. Ornouma Sriwanishvipat, an ENT surgeon. Snoring is caused by turbulent airflow from tissues in the nose and throat vibrating during sleep. Left untreated, habitual snoring can increase risks of health issues like high blood pressure. The doctor examines patients to determine if snoring is caused by issues like nasal problems, enlarged tonsils, or sleep apnea. Lifestyle changes and devices like oral appliances or CPAP machines can help. For severe cases, surgery like uvulopalatopharyngoplasty may be recommended to reduce vibrations and open the airway.

1. Cure for Snoring and
Sleep Apnea
Dr. Ornouma Sriwanishvipat MD, ENT
- Otorhinolaryngologist
- Snoring Surgeon
- Nose & Sinus Surgeon
- Head and Neck surgeon
- Voice Surgeon
Yanhee International Hospital
Charansanitwong, Bangok, Thaiand
Website: dr-ornouma.com
Email: yanhee_ent@yahoo.com

3. What is Snoring?
 Snoring is a sound created from turbulent airflow.
It is noisy breathing during sleep caused by the
exchange of a large volume of air through a
narrowed space, which in turn causes the tissues
of the nose and throat to vibrate.

4. How does snoring affect your
health?
 This nighttime annoyance may indicate a serious
health condition, and it can disrupt household and
strain relationships.
 Snoring is common. More than one-third of adults
snore at least a few nights each week.
 Habitual snoring may be more than just a nuisance
and a cause of daytime sleepiness.
 Untreated, persistent snoring caused by obstructive
sleep apnea may raise lifetime risk of developing such
health problems as high blood pressure, heart failure
and stroke.
 In children, obstructive sleep apnea may increase
their risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD.

5. What are the causes of snoring?
 As patient doze off and progress from a lighter
sleep to a deep sleep, the muscles in the roof of
the mouth (soft palate), tongue and throat relax.
 If the tissues in the throat relax enough, they
vibrate and may partially obstruct the airway.
 The more narrowed airway, the more forceful the
airflow becomes.
 Tissue vibration increases, and snoring grows
louder.
 Snoring may be an occasional problem, or it may
be habitual.

6. What contributes to snoring?
 A variety of factors can lead to snoring, including:
 Mouth anatomy.
 Alcohol consumption.
 Nasal problems.
 Sleep apnea

7. What contributes to snoring?
Air from nose and Snoring occurs when air
mouth
flows past relaxed
tissues as patient
breathe. The sagging
tissues narrow the
airway, causing these
Base of tongue tissues to vibrate.
Soft palate
Blocked Airway

8. When to seek medical advice?
 Patient may not be aware that he snores, but bed
partner likely is.
 Snoring may indicate another health concern, such as
obstructive sleep apnea, nasal obstruction or obesity.
 If child snores, ask pediatrician about the problem.
Children, too, can have obstructive sleep apnea,
though most don't.
 Nose and throat problems, such as enlarged tonsils,
and obesity often underlie habitual snoring in children.
 Treating these conditions could help the child sleep
better at night.

9. Understanding the Anatomy
Parts of the upper Airway
Nasal Airway
Oral Airway
Uvula/Soft Palate
Tongue

10. Understanding the Anatomy
Parts of the upper Airway
Nasal Airway
Oral Airway Uvula/Soft Palate
Tongue Soft Palate/Pharynx
Obstruction
6. Oral Airway
Obstruction

11. How can Dr. Ornouma be of help?

12. Here is a bunch of advice
 Self Care: To restore peace and quiet as well as domestic
harmony, lifestyle changes, such as…
 Loose weight- Being overweight is a common cause of
snoring. Loose throat tissues are more likely to vibrate as
patient breathes, and extra bulkiness in the throat narrows
airway.
 Sleep on one side.
 Nasal strips.
 Treat nasal congestion or obstruction.
 Limit or avoid alcohol and sedatives.
 YOGA- It helps :
 STRESS REDUCTION
 RELIEF OF PAIN
 MEDICATION REDUCTION

13. advice
 In addition, surgery is available that may reduce
disruptive snoring.
 However, surgery isn't suitable for everyone who
snores.
 People with obstructive sleep apnea, a potentially
serious disorder characterized by episodes of loud
snoring followed by periods of silence when breathing
briefly stops, aren't always good candidates for
surgery.

14. advice
 Physical examination:
 The partner may need to answer some questions
about when and how his/her partner snores to
help doctor assess the severity of the problem.
 Parents are asked about the severity of a child's
snoring.
 This may require that to stay overnight at a sleep
center to undergo an in-depth analysis of sleep
habits by a team of specialists.

15. Treatments
 First recommends lifestyle changes, such as
losing weight, avoiding alcohol close to
bedtime and changing sleeping positions.
 If lifestyle changes don't eliminate snoring:
 Oral appliances.
 Traditional surgery / uvulopalatopharyngoplasty
(UPPP).
 Laser surgery.
 Radio frequency tissue ablation (somnoplasty).
 Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

16. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
machine to eliminate snoring and prevent sleep
apnea. A CPAP machine delivers just enough air
pressure to keep the upper airway passages open.

17. The Surgical Procedure

18. What went wrong with your breathing?
Well… you’ve a long uvula that blocked the airway
air
air
nose
mouth
Tongue
Blocked airway
Long uvula

19. Snoring Surgery
(uvulopalatopharyngoplasty)
Hard palate
tonsil
Soft ring
palate
Uvula
Tongue

20. Now you can sleep
like a baby!