Snoring is more than just an annoying noise – it actually is the soft palate vibrating indicating that the airway is not open properly. Because snoring is a partial blockage of the airway, less oxygen reaches your lungs, leading to increased pressure on your heart and circulatory system as your body attempts to cope with reduced blood oxygen levels. The obstruction is normally in the upper airway, and may be caused by the soft palate, or excess flappy tissue in the throat. If you regularly snore at night it can disrupt the quality of your sleep—leading to daytime fatigue, irritability, and increased health problems.
Improving your snoring symptoms can have a massive positive impact on your productivity, feelings of well-being and the happiness of your partner.
Obstructive sleep apnea, also known as OSA, is a life-threatening condition caused when tissues at the back of the throat collapse into the airway as patients sleep. This significant obstruction blocks airflow, causing a person to stop breathing for over 10 seconds and often wake up with a loud snort, gasping for breath.
Not all snoring is the same. In fact, everyone snores for different reasons. When you get to the bottom of why you snore, then you can find the right solutions to a quieter, deeper sleep.
NightLase Treatment is a fast, non-invasive way of increasing the quality of a patient’s sleep. NightLase uses gentle laser light to tighten soft tissue in the throat – improving airway volume and reducing snoring. The laser-induced tightening effect is caused by the contraction of collagen in the oral mucosa tissue.
This treatment has been utilized with great success in Europe for many years, and it is now being offered in the United States.
The procedure is performed in three separate 30 minute sessions over 6 weeks with the results lasting up to a year. Patient often notice a difference in snoring a few weeks after the first treatment, though best results are evident after all three sessions. The laser snoring treatments are required with three weeks between each appointment to provide time for the collagen to reform and new collagen to be produced inside the soft palatal tissue and the uvula. When loved ones notice the tissue relaxing again and snoring becoming more frequent, another session of treatment can usually be performed to continue the restful sleep.
The laser light preheats the tissue.
Laser light strengthens the tissue.
Nightlase™ is virtually painless during and after the procedure. Treatment requires no needles, anesthesia or chemicals The sensation of the laser is similar to having a fine mist of hot water sprayed into the throat. Patients are generally surprised at how painless the NightLase procedure is.
There are usually no side-effects associated with NightLase treatment. Patients can talk, eat and drink normally once the procedure is over. Some patients experience a mild sore throat the next day, and we advise drinking plenty of water after the procedure.
Are you tired of having your sleep interrupted at night because of snoring? If you are, NightLase treatment can help you get the restful sleep you desire, so that you wake up feeling refreshed. The NightLase can also treat sleep apnea, if it’s caused by the soft tissue at the back of the throat.
