SE LA Times

• Snoring can lead to issues in a relationship.
• One of the possible reasons for snoring is chronic sinusitis.
• A balloon sinuplasty can provide long-lasting effects, which can help end snoring.

Instead of letting snoring interrupt both you and your partner's beauty sleep, a short, simple, painless procedure could fix your noisy slumber long-term if the snoring is due to chronic sinus issues.

Dr. Matt Hershcovitch of SoCal Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers said that sinusitis and snoring can be treated with a balloon sinuplasty, which is a simple, minimally invasive procedure. 

"At SoCal Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, we specialize in nasal and sinus surgery, specifically minimally invasive nasal and sinus surgery," Hershcovitch told SE LA Times. "This has led to almost a revolution, a renaissance, in treating these poor patients with chronic sinusitis, nasal obstruction, snoring, postnasal drip and eustachian tube dysfunction. Patients are living with a chronic condition that many of them were unaware that they could cure with some simple in-office procedures."

In an international consensus statement on allergy and rhinology from Wiley, a multi-institutional case-control study was noted that focused on sleep patterns. This study showed that individuals who suffer from chronic sinusitis have an increased number of awakenings during a nights sleep, as well as spend a greater portion of the night snoring.

There could be other reasons why someone is snoring, such as certain pregnancy hormones, alcohol consumption, taking muscle-relaxing sedatives or obesity, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Long-term snoring could lead to other health issues down the road, such as a lower blood oxygen level, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or an increased heart attack and stroke risk. 

If your snoring is a result of sinus issues, a balloon sinuplasty could stop the sound of sawing logs permanently. According to Kaplan, during the procedure, an ENT physician inserts a tiny balloon into your nasal sinuses and inflates it, allowing the sinuses to open up, which promotes better breathing. The procedure itself only lasts about 20 minutes.

To learn more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.