Snoring Problems – Tukwila, WA

Snoring Causes

On the Sleep Problems page, we described how a narrowing of your airway causes snoring. This narrowing of the airway can be worsened by many conditions, including:

• Being overweight
• Allergies, illness, and infection
• Drinking alcohol before bed
• Certain medications
• Sleeping on your back
• Poor bite

However, it may also be due primarily to your anatomy, including the width of your airway, turbinates (structures in your nose), your uvula, tongue, palate, and other structures.

Is It Sleep Apnea?

One of the most important reasons to talk to your doctor or dentist about your snoring is that it may be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a potentially deadly condition in which your airway doesn’t just narrow, it closes.

Sleep apnea can lead to consequences like heart failure, stroke, anesthesia complications, and even dangerous car accidents.

Snoring Treatment

Snoring treatment may consist of several elements. It may include lifestyle changes, such as diet changes, adding exercise, and drinking less alcohol or taking it at a different time. It may include allergy testing and mitigation. You may be encouraged to change your sleeping position or talk to your doctor about alternative medications.

Finally, we may recommend an appropriate oral appliance, which you put in your mouth at night when you go to bed. Snoring surgery or nonsurgical tissue modification may be recommended depending on the specific cause of your snoring and the results of other treatment.

These appliances may look superficially like the ones you see in the drug store, but they are customized to your anatomy and the severity of your problem. They are better built, more durable, and proven to work, unlike those you buy over the counter, which often have had no clinical tests of their effectiveness.