Snoring
For many of us, as we age the soft tissues in our palate begin to sag as our collagen degrades and unwinds throughout the body. Resultant of this, the soft palate may contact the upper part of the tongue as we sleep; and then we snore... A Laser based procedure known as Nightlase® (technically speaking, this procedure is known as Minimally Invasive Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty) has been shown in studies to rewind the collagen, thereby shrinking the palatal tissues and helping to lift them back up. This usually opens up the airway, resulting in a decrease in snoring. The treatments are non-surgical, require no anesthesia, and typically take 30-40 minutes to accomplish per round.
The Nightlase® Laser treatments were recently shown in the literature to effectively treat mild to moderate cases of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as well as snoring. (Lukac, M. Nightlase®: Minimally Invasive Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty).
To see the entire article: https://cdn.website.thryv.com/baed51b3e027423b9df1259e6783655c/files/uploaded/shiffman__nightlase_laha.pdf
Dr. Nick has found that most patients respond favorably to Nightlase®, and encourages his patients to objectively measure and quantify their snoring episodes using a simple app that they can acquire on their cell phone known as SNORELAB.
Snorelab info: https://www.snorelab.com/how-snorelab-works/
Snorelab “listens” as one sleeps and records the snoring episodes, graphically depicting the events to the patient whilst simultaneously quantifying the events. This is important, to acquire a baseline for the snoring events by which one may compare against as subsequent Nightlase® treatments are accomplished. Most patients see a decrease in their SNORELAB scores after treatment, and their partners typically will get a better night’s sleep as well! On the typical patient, an initial Nightlase® procedure is done three times; on day 1, day 22, and then day 43. The ~21 day separation between treatments is important physiologically, since there is an inflammatory cascade that occurs per this specific timing. Following this schedule is optimal and more likely to result in a successful reduction or elimination of snoring. The treatment tends to last from 4-6 months, and should be subsequently repeated a single time every 6 months thereafter to maintain the collagen lift. Unfortunately, this is not a permanent treatment as maintenance is requred, but ,it is both non-invasive and non-surgical, and a large percentage of patients do tend to respond.
Contact us today to learn more about the Laser-assisted snoring reduction procedure known as Nightlase®.
