If you intend to use it along with other treatments (e.g., CPAP or BiPAP machine to keep your mask in place), a snoring chin strap could probably work. That’s what people who’ve tried it tell me.

More than a question of how effective they are, I think I ought to caution everyone who reads this that the issue is truth in advertising on the part of the websites that sell these straps.

A snoring chin strap has probably worked for a few people. But I haven’t found any raves outside the web pages that sell the straps.

What’s more, at least one site that advertises a 100% money-back guarantee will not deliver on their promise should you decide to return the device. That’s what half a dozen people writing in an online consumer forum have found out too late.

Not only does the advertised device not work, the vendor will give you the runaround if you demand a refund and will, at best, return only half your money if you threaten to go to the authorities.

So if you have a snoring problem, go to a sleep doctor or apnea specialist first NOT an online store. If you really want a self-help solution, try some anti snore exercises (type it into your search engine). If they don’t work, at least you won’t lose any money.

Did you know that laser surgery for snoring is NOT as effective as some surgeons claim? But it’s easy to see why many people would be taken in by false claims.

For one thing, lasers seem to be applicable to so many surgical procedures nowadays. They’re synonymous with fast, safe treatment, less pain, and rapid recovery times.

Along with that, over a third of the American population has a problem with snoring. But the fact remains: clinical studies proving the effectiveness laser surgery for snoring are insufficient. There are even studies that show laser surgeries as being ineffective in treating people who snore.

One example is a study conducted by a team of doctors in a clinic in Barcelona In 2004. The doctors performed a 25-patient, randomized, placebo-controlled study of people who showed disruptive snoring as primary symptoms.

The first group underwent honest to goodness laser surgery for snoring, while the other group underwent simulated surgery and were made to take a placebo after.

After 3 months, both groups were tested for snoring intensity (objectively and subjectively).

The results: there was NO DIFFERENCE between the two groups!

The findings were amazing as a previous clinical study reported a 90% success rate!

So despite its current popularity, laser surgery for snoring is a questionable treatment. It would be a good idea for you to try out other, more proven cures for snoring, especially as many of them offer solid success rates WITHOUT surgery.

I used to think that deviated septum surgery was just a fancy name for a nose job. That is until a friend of mine was diagnosed with sleep apnea due to a deviated septum and had to go under the knife.

My friend had always complained about sleepless nights. I know he’d tried everything from herbal meds to sleeping pills. But, lately, it had gotten worse. After weeks at a sleep clinic, and trying out all sorts of techniques and gizmos, his doctor said deviated septum surgery was needed.

We now tease him about getting a nose job, but we know that sleep apnea can be really tough to deal with. (He looks more tired and haggard each year!)

The septum, apparently, is this thin cartilage that separates the nostrils. If it isn’t in the middle, it’s deviated. If it’s deviated enough, like my friend’s, you end up breathing mostly through one nostril.

We used to think it funny that my friend sometimes whistles through one nose when he has a bad cold. This happened more often in recent weeks as he was hardly getting any sleep.

That’s why he ended up in the sleep clinic. And that’s why he’s going through deviated septum surgery in a few days. The whistling was embarrassing but his sleepless nights were also damaging his health, career, and ability to enjoy life.

His nose always did look kind of crooked, but we always assumed he once broke it or something. He says he just wants the problem corrected and doesn’t want any surgeons messing with the way he looks.

We still tease him that since he’s undergoing a surgical procedure anyway, wouldn’t it be cool to get a movie-star nose as well? Maybe after the surgery he’ll be his old self and be able to laugh at our teasing again.

If you’re looking for physicians treating sleep apnea in Dundee Scotland, the first thing you should probably do is look for doctors specializing in oral and maxillofacial surgery. A physician specializing in otorhinolaryngology will also be able to treat you.

The easiest way to find treatment is to, of course, go to one of Scotland’s medical centers or hospitals with either a Department of Otorhinolaryngology or a Department of Surgery and Division of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.

Medical specialists connected with these departments will also be able to diagnose if your insomnia and lack of comfort in sleeping is indeed sleep apnea and if your condition can be remedied without surgery.

Sometimes other methods aimed at preventing certain habits can make you a better sleeper. For instance, a sock with tennis balls pinned to the back of your nightshirt will stop you from rolling on your back, a position which tends to make the tongue block your airway, leading to sleep apnea.

But no matter how simple these home remedies are, they still need a physician’s diagnosis so you can be sure about the real cause of your apnea.

Physicians treating sleep apnea in Dundee Scotland can be found in at least three hospitals:

1. Ninewells Hospital
Ninewells Hospital, Ninewells Avenue, Dundee DD1 9SY
http://www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk/patients/hospital/ninewells.shtml
Telephone 01382 660111

2. Fernbrae Hospital
329 Perth Road, Dundee DD2 1LJ
http://www.fernbrae.co.uk/hospital/index.cfm
Telephone 01382631400

3. Strathmartine Hospital
Dundee DD3 0PG
http://www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk/patients/hospital/STRATHMART_HOSP.shtml
Telephone 01382 423000

Sleep apnea septorhinoplasty with cartilage graft means that rhinoplasty, or surgery to the nose, is performed to alter both appearance and function.

Actually, the term rhinoplasty is enough to describe both procedures, but some doctors prefer the additional prefix. But whether your goal for surgery is treatment or cosmetic enhancement, you will of course not be content if one is sacrificed for the other!

Sleep apnea septorhinoplasty is aimed at relieving you from lack of comfort when sleeping, insomnia, and more severe problems that come from long periods of sleep deprivation.

Cartilage grafts are meant to fix defects like alar collapse, which is a functional problem that can happen either due to aging or to the weakness or paralysis of the muscles that allow the nostrils to dilate.

A cartilage graft, placed over a couple of relatively fixed points, will reinforce existing cartilage so you can resist your nostril’s collapsing action when you inhale.

But if you are a restless sleeper and feel you have all the symptoms of sleep apnea, get a doctor’s opinion. Most sleep apnea treatments that do NOT involve any surgery have pretty high success rates. Of course, this will depend on the cause of your apnea.