Sharing a bed with a person who snores can not only be annoying but concerning too, according to doctors. Habitual snorers can be at risk for serious health problems.
“The vibration of snoring can thicken the arteries of the head and neck and may increase stroke risk,” explains Dr. M. Boyd Gillespie, Head and Neck Surgeon, UT Methodist Physicians.
He says the problem is a common one, for men and women. “About 50% of men snore on a daily basis and about 30% of women. Especially women after menopause,” he explains.
Dr. Gillespie says the problem can worsen with age, as a person’s tissues relax. Different in-office treatments are available to combat that problem, “designed to strengthen and stiffen the tissue and reduce those vibrations,” he says.
Stacy Parker says her husband would build a fort between them nightly, to drown out her snores, and she was looking for a solution to not only his complaints, but her own restless nights.
“It’s disturbing him, it’s disturbing my sleep.” She says that is what led her to Dr. Gillespie’s office, last November. At the time, she was diagnoses with mild sleep apnea and she was barely making it through the day without getting groggy. “Before about 2 o’clock, I had to come home from work and take a nap,” she explains.
Parker opted for the Pillar Procedure. The procedure takes about 10 minutes. Using local anesthesia, Dr. Gillespie says he inserts a small implant into the mouth tissue, to create a fibrosis, or scaring, that stiffens to support the tissue and subsequently stop the snoring.
“The best analogy I have is, it works almost like a mute on a guitar string. You place the mute, it reduces the vibration of that string, and reduces the snoring sounds,” explains Dr. Gillespie.
Parker says it’s one of the best things she’s ever done for her health. “I lay down until my alarm goes off, so I’m sleeping all night,” she says.
She says following the procedure, which she describes as much like a dental appointment, she had a sore throat for a day. It takes about two months for the scaring to develop, and the treatment to be fully effective, but it certainly seems to be working, not just for Parker but her husband.
“He seems happy. He doesn’t say anything about me snoring and the pillow is gone.”
