Men's Health

How to Stop a Snoring Man

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In the 1990s, a snoring surgery that involved "lasering off" bits of flesh from the soft palate of the mouth was popular. But this turned out largely to be a disaster because "it doesn't necessarily unblock your breathing. You decrease the snoring sounds -- the feedback to patient and bed partner is that they don't snore. But they might still have obstruction," says Strollo.

A last resort is maxillomandibullar advancement, a major operation. In this procedure, the jaw is surgically broken in two places and moved forward a centimeter. After the surgery, the patient is required to wear a retainer for 18 months. Strollo recommends it in fewer than 5% of the patients he sees.

"The challenge we have is to have patients take sleep seriously as part of their health," Collop says. "People think sleep can be put aside for other, more important things. We think it's as important as what you eat and how much you exercise."