Ogden Clinic | Specialties

Questions and Answers: Snoring

What is snoring?

Snoring is caused by abnormal reverberation of tissue in the back of the throat. It is caused by collapse of airway structures that may include the tonsils, the tongue, and palate. Snoring leads to oxygen deprivation during sleep and thus restless sleep.

How do I know if I am snoring?

Most commonly, others around you will let you know. Other symptoms may include daytime drowsiness, early morning headaches, and poor attention span. It can affect both children and adults.

Why is snoring more than just a social nuisance?

Snoring may be the first sign of a more serious medical condition called Sleep Disordered Breathing. This can possibly include stopping of breathing at night called Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The seriousness of this condition relates to the stress that apnea places on the heart.

What can be done to cure snoring?

There are variety of medical and surgical options to the neck that entirely eliminate snoring. More importantly, they also improve the quality of sleep at night.

Are snoring treatments covered by insurance?

Surprisingly, often times they are. This depends on what your insurance covers and whether there is a more serious medical condition associated with your snoring. Visit the Billing FAQ for more information about insurance.

What is the most recent development to eliminate snoring?

A great deal of work has been done over the last decade to decrease the pain associated with the treatments for snoring. Radio-frequency treatment is the most recent surgical development. This is an office-based procedure which involves placing a probe into the palate to tighten this area and eliminate the vibrations that cause snoring. Patients tolerate this procedure well and have minimal pain associated with it.

How do I know if I am a candidate for radio-frequency treatment?

A simple office evaluation can be done. During this visit our physicians will take a history and a comprehensive examination to determine whether you are candidate or not.

Who performs the radio-frequency treatment?

Dr. Nadim Bikhazi and Dr. John Siddoway are board-certified otolaryngologists who combine over 25 years of expertise in treating snoring disorders. They have been using this technique with great success among their patients. They not only performed the radio-frequency treatment but offer a full array of other options to treat snoring disorders.