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In contrast to just feeling tired, how likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in the following situations? (Even if you have not done some of these things recently, try to work out how they would have affected you.) Use the following sleep test scale to choose the most appropriate number for each situation:

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Research & Publications

Sleep Apnea and Snoring Research and Publications
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Your Tongue Could Be the Cause of Snoring

Date Posted: Sunday, April 13th, 2014 by Don Sesso

Relaxing or loosening of the Genioglossus muscle can be the cause of snoring or sleep apnea Tongue based obstruction is a common finding in patients with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The tongue is composed of muscles and during sleep these muscles may relax and lose some of their tone. This can cause the tongue to collapse, fall backwards into the airway, and may obstruct the airway. This is why you may have noticed that snoring tends to be worse while you are lying on your back.

Most people are unaware that they have tongue based obstruction and failure to recognize and properly treat it will result in persistent airway obstruction and snoring. Our protocol for diagnosing and treating snoring and sleep apnea includes a complete upper airway examination to determine if a patient has tongue based obstruction. This evaluation will also allow us to decide the best treatment option.

One such option is a procedure called genioglossus advancement. The genioglossus is a muscle of the tongue. This procedure is designed to "pull" the genioglossus muscle forward to prevent it from falling back into the airway during sleep. Have you noticed that bed partners often ask snorers to lay on their side or chest to stop the snoring? These positions reduce the chance of the tongue falling backwards. This is the basic concept of this surgical technique: to treat your snoring and to allow you to sleep on your back again.

The procedure takes approximately 30 minutes and can be performed as an isolated procedure or in conjunction with nasal and palatal procedures. An over-night stay in the hospital is recommended. Swelling and mild pain are expected. Most patients are able to return to work within a week.

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