During sleep, the muscles and soft tissues in the throat and mouth relax significantly reducing airway size. This decrease in airway space increases the velocity of air flowing through the throat and mouth. The speed of the air traveling through the constricted space causes vibrations of the uvula and soft tissues of the palatte. These vibrations are what we refer to as snoring. Studies have shown that excess body weight, heavy alcohol consumption, and regular use of sedatives can significantly increase the severity of snoring.
Forty-five percent of normal adults snore at least occasionally, and twenty-five percent are habitual snorers. Snoring can have personal and medical repercussion. Disturbance of your sleep as well as the sleep of others can lead to serious long-term health problems. Often times snoring is a precurser to a more serious condition, and is the number one symptom of all sleep apnea suffers.
Many invasive techniques such as Bipolar cautery, Laser-Assisted Uvula Platoplasty, and Radio Frequency ablation have been used to treat serious snoring cases. 