If you have tried everything to stop your snoring, but it is still there and is affecting your spouse, you might want to look into surgery for snoring. While surgery is typically the last option used for snoring, it can make a big difference when nothing else works. Here are three things you should know about surgery for snoring.

What causes snoring?

Snoring is something that affects approximately 90 million adults in the U.S. and is often caused by sleep apnea. When you sleep, snoring typically occurs because of a restricted airway.

This restriction could involve your uvula, tonsils, soft palate, and tongue, but it is usually a combination of these parts of your mouth and throat. When this restriction of air occurs, it causes vibrations of these parts of the throat and mouth, and the result of this is snoring.

What surgeries are designed to stop snoring?

There are a variety of different types of surgeries used to treat snoring, and one option is called palate surgery. This procedure involves removing part of the palate, and the purpose of this is to:

• Create more room for air to pass through
• Reduce the ability for vibrations to occur when sleeping

This procedure may be completed with a laser or with low levels of radiofrequency energy. Other types of surgeries for snoring involve removing the tonsils and adenoids, implanting cylinders in the palate to stop the vibration, and changing the design of the septum found near the nostrils.

Will it work?

Before you can get surgery for snoring, it's important to try other treatment options first. It's also important to get a sleep study conducted to find out if you have sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea, you may need other forms of treatment in addition to surgery.

If your doctor believes that you are a good candidate for snoring surgery, you should realize that there is no complete guarantee that you will no longer snore. For certain snoring surgeries, research shows that 46% to 73% of people have positive long-term effects after having surgery. In many cases, snoring will go away for a while, but it may return later on.

As with any medical procedure you may be considering, there are risks. Talk to your doctor before choosing to go through with palate surgery for snoring so you fully understand the possible outcome, risks, and rewards for going through with it.