Sunshine Sentinel

• Chronic sinusitis can lead to snoring.

• Snoring can cause other medical issues, including higher risk for heart attacks and strokes.

• A balloon sinuplasty can fix chronic sinus problems.    

Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers believes balloon sinuplasty is an efficient, minimally invasive way to resolve chronic sinus problems and the side effects that go with them, such as snoring.

"Over the last 10 years, we've really improved something called balloon sinus dilation, otherwise known as balloon sinuplasty," Blair told the Sunshine Sentinel. "We take a small catheter that is inserted into the natural opening of the sinus; we have six sinuses. We then insert the balloon into the opening of the sinuses and dilate that balloon, dilating the natural opening of the sinus, and then we deflate the balloon. This takes less than a minute for each sinus. What that does is it permanently opens the sinuses so we can get treatment into it. The sinus is then prevented from being blocked from whatever the cause may be, whether it is anatomic or an inflammatory cause from a condition the patient might have that they cannot control."

According to Kaplan Sinus Relief, chronic sinus problems could be one cause of snoring. Short-term effects of snoring include fatigue during the day, headaches, chest pain and a sore throat in the morning.

Snoring happens when your body is unable to breathe properly through the nose while sleeping, which can happen when the sinuses are inflamed or infected. Breathing through your mouth causes the airways to narrow and the soft tissue in the throat to vibrate, which causes the snoring sound.

Drinking alcohol or taking other muscle-relaxing sedatives, certain hormones caused by pregnancy or being overweight can also contribute to snoring, according to Cleveland Clinic. Over time, snoring can lead to health problems, such as lower blood oxygen level, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and increased risk for heart attacks and strokes.

If your snoring is caused by sinus issues, Kaplan Sinus Relief suggests that having a balloon sinuplasty could be a lasting solution. At-home remedies could also be effective, such as sleeping on your side, sleeping with your head elevated or using nasal strips to open your sinuses. If none of these methods work, it could be worth looking into balloon sinuplasty.

The procedure typically lasts about 20 minutes, during which an ear, nose and throat (ENT) physician inserts a tiny balloon into your sinus cavity and inflates it, opening the sinuses to help you to breathe more easily. The procedure is minimally invasive, pain-free and done in-office on an outpatient basis.

If you're interested in learning more about sinus and allergy symptoms, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.