'Snore-demic' has met its match with painless treatment

When Mitch was younger, he had a chronic problem which meant that wax gathered quickly in his left ear. This problem meant that the hearing on one side of his head was significantly impaired. While this might sound like an unfortunate condition to you, Mitch didn’t see it the same way.

At night, Mitch would lay down in his bed, located just below his parent's room. He would carefully position himself so that his waxed-up, left ear was facing upwards and his right ear was immersed in the pillow. Mitch had carefully created this position because, with his left ear up and his right ear submerged in his pillow, he couldn’t hear the loud, reverberating snoring emulating from his parent's room.

“My father was a horrendous snorer,” said Mitch. “His snores were so loud, the plates in the kitchen would vibrate! However, when my left ear was blocked, I could hide my right ear in the pillow and I wouldn’t be able to hear a thing. After my mother took me to the ear doctor to get my ears cleaned, I couldn’t sleep for days.”

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The Snora-demic

While Mitch’s methods might be unique, snoring family members leading to long, sleepless nights are common. According to Statistics Canada, one in three men and one in three women snore. This means that plenty of households across Canada currently deal with sleepless nights. These sleepless nights have negative consequences in the form of tiredness, morning headaches, irritability, dry mouth and relationship issues.

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Many solutions have been offered to tackle this nationwide snora-demic. Some solutions are myths, such as the ball in the back of the pyjamas, eating horseradish or putting water under the bed. These myths have not only failed to stop snoring but have also created other problems such as back pain or a nasty, slimy taste in the mouth. Other scientifically proven solutions, such as the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or surgery, are either an everyday hassle or particularly invasive procedures.

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Nevertheless, developing unnecessary amounts of earwax is not the only way to effectively and easily solve snoring problems.

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The Nightlase Laser Treatment offered at Okanagan Skin Care Centre is a simple procedure which uses lasers to tighten the back of the throat (soft palate), keeping the airway open and reducing snoring. The treatment is performed in three 15 minute procedures and, because it's painless, requires no anaesthesia.

"Most people don't know they snore - I didn't, but my wife certainly did!" said Dr. Brain Peterson. "I was snoring to the point of disrupting her sleep. With the Fotona laser treatment, my snoring is gone and both of us feel more rested in the morning."

The Journal of the Laser and Health Academy published a study on the effects of the Nightlase treatment. This study found that, of 57 patients treated for Nightlase, 74% responded positively. The average improvement in snoring severity was 50%.

“My husband told me that after just one treatment he could notice a decrease in the loudness of my snoring,” said Gale, a recipient of the Nightlase treatment. “I’m definitely going to finish the next two stages of the treatment, they’re quick, easy and painless.”

If you’re like Jim and are thinking of turning to drastic measures to get some sleep at night, it might be worth checking out Okanagan Skin Care Centre’s Nightlase treatment. The staff at Okanagan Skin Care will be happy to talk about options or to set up an appointment for you.

As an exclusive skin care centre, Okanagan Skin Care Centre is affiliated with Dr, Brian Peterson, board certified plastic surgeon, and this strong relationship allows them to share with patients quality resources, expert consultation and the most technologically advanced treatment options.

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