Your Health Snoring Shot Snoring Snoring occurs when the soft structures in the air passages vibrate. The American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery estimates 45 percent of adults snore occasionally and 25 percent snore habitually. Snoring is more common in men, older people, and those who are overweight. People who snore may feel tired and have problems with concentration. In some cases, snoring is a sign of a condition called obstructive sleep apnea, in which the patient experiences brief periods of breathing cessation.
Sleep apnea can lead to an abnormal heart rhythm and sudden death.
Treating Snoring Light or occasional snoring can sometimes be stopped by avoiding alcohol near bedtime, sleeping on your side, losing excess weight, and raising the headboard a few inches. In more serious cases, patients may need treatment to reshape the structures in the throat and palate and enlarge the airway. First the back of the throat is numbed. Then, doctors inject the drug into the soft palate. As the drug takes effect, the treated area turns from white to purple.