Laser Treatment for Snoring

Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnoea which is a harmful condition that affects breathing during sleep.

Snoring can also occur in the absence of sleep apnoea, but in either case it can impact your relationship and your quality of sleep. There are many symptoms of sleep apnoea including:

• Snoring
• Constant waking during the night
• Gasping or coughing during sleep
• Headaches and fatigue
• Lack of concentration (especially in children)
• Dry mouth
• Going to the bathroom frequently throughout the night
• Falling asleep during daily activities

The most common form of sleep apnoea is obstructive sleep apnoea or OSA. This condition is caused by blocking of the airway by excess tissue. It is common in people who are overweight or those who have a neck thickness of 40 cm or more. Increasing degrees of blockage of the air passage whilst sleeping in people suffering from OSA, causes them to struggle to get air into their lungs. If oxygen intake is decreased too much, your brain does not receive the required oxygen to function properly. As an emergency response, your brain will automatically partially wake your body to kick start the breathing process manually. This repeated waking during your sleep leads to fatigue and lack of concentration whilst awake.

Snoring is common in men, but it can also occur in women

It also occurs commonly in children as they are usually more peaceful during sleep, causing tissue to be more relaxed. Children though, will usually grow out of this condition by themselves or occasionally with the assistance of oral appliance therapy. If you are an adult that suffers from snoring you have previously often had to just put up with it. If the snoring has been caused by OSA, there have only been a few treatment options (oral appliance therapy or CPAP therapy) which were uncomfortable at the best of times. This is why Hunter Laser Centre in Kotara, Newcastle  now offers NightLase, a comfortable laser procedure performed with Er:YAG laser light which is ideal for your delicate throat tissue. We are one of only a handful of clinics in Australia offering this groundbreaking new solution to an age old nuisance.

Our NightLase procedure utilises the most advanced technology

The obstruction leading to snoring is caused by droopiness or swelling of the soft palate and other tissues in your throat and mouth. The laser procedure works in two parts. First, the laser preheats the delicate tissue which is blocking the airway. Then our Er:YAG laser light strengthens this tissue. By strengthening these tissues, our doctors can prevent airway obstruction, and markedly reduce snoring. This allows our patients, and their partners, to achieve a much better night’s sleep. For best results you will require three separate treatments three weeks apart.

How long does laser sleep apnoea treatment take?

Each NightLase procedure is performed quickly over the course of a one hour appointment. The treatment is pain free and optimum results have been known to last a number of years.

Laser Treatment for Snoring

If you are fed up with traditional uncomfortable snoring appliances and are looking for an alternative to CPAP or sleep appliance therapy please contact us at our clinic in Kotara, Newcastle.