The soft palate (roof of the mouth) and tonsils play a major role in snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, and these structures are commonly treated surgically. However, outcomes can vary widely for individual patients and procedures. Based on the available scientific literature and our ongoing research, we believe that patient evaluation plays an important role in identifying patients that may benefit more or less from specific surgical and non-surgical treatments. The process of selecting among procedures and predicting outcomes is far from perfect, but members of the Division of Sleep Surgery are playing an active role in advancing sleep surgery, including educating patients and practicing physicians about how best to use the available procedures to improve outcomes.