30-minute treatment could stop snoring

A cure for snoring that offers hope to Britain's three million noisy sleepers - and their long-suffering partners - has been launched in the UK.

Somnoplasty uses radiowaves to treat the vibrating tissue in the palate of the mouth that causes the snoring sound. Doctors say it can cure snoring in 75 per cent of cases, and significantly reduce the decibel level in the remaining quarter of patients.

It was developed in France and is widely used in the US. Now French expert Dr Francois Coudert has brought it to Britain, and is offering to cure snorers in their lunch hour. But the treatment costs £1,000 and is currently only available privately.

Snoring is mainly caused by an extralarge soft palate in the throat. In sleep, the palate becomes floppy and vibrates against the back of the throat, producing sound. The 30-minute treatment involves a local anaesthetic injection in the back of the throat. A needle attached to a probe is then placed into the soft palate. Low-power radiowaves are passed through the needle, causing the soft palate to heat up to around 85C.

As it heals over four to six weeks, the treated tissue stiffens, stopping the vibration and the snoring sound.

Dr Coudert said: "The procedure is very quick and painless. Patients may experience slight discomfort for a couple of days, like a sore throat, but that is all." Allen Davey, of the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association, said: "This is much less invasive than other procedures. But snorers should only see surgery as a last resort."

Other treatments have included face masks, nose strips, laser treatments and a mouthwash.