Snoring Relief Dallas Fort Worth

Snoring can ruin a good night sleep for both the person that is snoring and the bed partner.  This puts undue stress on relationships and it can be treated by a variety of means.  

Sleep apnea occurs when there is decreased airflow due to upper airway collapse during sleep.  This causes oxygen levels to decrease and it is a chronic stress on the cardiovascular system.  Sleep apnea causes high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and mental impairment.  The excessive daytime sleepiness may also lead to car accidents or occupational accidents due to falling asleep at inappropriate times.  

Many patients with sleep apnea have chronic nasal breathing issues that are contributing to the problem.  Nasal obstruction causes mouth breathing and increases the speed of air in the throat.  Faster moving air has lower air pressure and this physics principle causes collapse of soft tissues in the throat--resulting in apnea.  Obstructed nasal breathing also makes CPAP more difficult to use in patients who are trying to use CPAP. 

Seasonal or perennial allergies cause nasal congestion and blockage for millions of people.  We provide allergy skin testing, medical management, and immunotherapy for allergy sufferers.  

Sinus inflammation leads to blockages in sinus outflow tracts--which causes localized inflammation and swelling in the nasal cavity.  We provide comprehensive management of chronic sinus issues and perform a variety of minimally-invasive procedures to relieve sinus obstruction.  

The nasal septum is the thin vertical layer of cartilage in the nasal cavity that separates the nose into right and left sides.  The cartilage sometimes has curvature (from abnormal growth or trauma) that causes chronic nasal airway obstruction.  The condition is treated with an outpatient surgery called a septoplasty.

Turbinates are the rounded structures on the sides of the nasal cavity.  When the turbinates are enlarged and swollen it causes obstructed airflow.  While the cause of the swelling are important to determine (allergies, sinusitis, etc.) it is also possible to directly treat the turbinates to improve nasal breathing.  This can be done in the office with local anesthesia or at the time of surgery if other nasal procedures are being performed. 

The external bone and cartilage structures of the nose can also contribute to nasal obstruction.  For example, an injury to the nose may cause fracture and deviation of the nasal bones (the upper 1/3) and nasal cartilages ( the lower 2/3).  These structures can become weakened or misshaped resulting in a narrow air passage called the nasal valve.  This type of nasal obstruction is called nasal valve collapse can also be relieved by the proper type of reparative procedure.  

Some patients have significant swelling in the nose despite having no evidence of allergies on skin testing and no evidence of sinusitis on imaging of the sinuses.  Nevertheless, these patients can have all of the same symptoms of nasal obstruction--which contributes to sleep apnea.  Fortunately, this condition can also be treated with proper medical management and a procedure called posterior nasal nerve ablation.