Does nasal surgery help my sleep apnea?

That’s a question I get frequently. Structural (anatomical) sleep apnea is a multifactorial condition. During sleep your body relaxes and muscle tone in the mouth and throat is reduced, which makes soft tissues more collapsible. When these tissues collapse they can vibrate (snoring) or partially/fully obstruct the airway, causing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Nasal obstruction can contribute to the problem by increasing the negative pressures required to draw a breath, which can promote collapse of the upper airway. Severe nasal obstruction can worsen OSA, but fixing the nose alone rarely resolves sleep apnea. Improving nasal breathing—whether with medical treatments (allergy management, nasal steroids) or surgical procedures (septoplasty, turbinate reduction, rhinoplasty when indicated)—can improve comfort during sleep and often makes other therapies easier to tolerate.

CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is the gold standard treatment for OSA because, when tolerated and used consistently, it is highly effective at preventing airway collapse. Many patients, however, are unable to tolerate CPAP despite diligent efforts. For those patients there are additional treatment options, including oral appliance therapy, positional therapy, weight loss strategies, targeted airway surgeries, and newer implantable technologies.
One of the newer, effective options is hypoglossal nerve stimulation (tongue stimulation). This device delivers mild electrical stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve during sleep to prevent the tongue from collapsing backward and obstructing the airway. It can be a very good option for appropriately selected patients who cannot use or do not benefit from CPAP.

If you’re struggling with snoring or suspected sleep apnea, a thorough evaluation—including sleep study data and an airway/anatomic assessment—is important to determine which treatments are likely to help. We offer comprehensive evaluation and a range of treatment options, including hypoglossal nerve stimulation, to tailor therapy to each patient’s needs. For an appointment or to discuss options, call Columbia Facial Plastic Surgery at 573-882-8333.