Snoring is a sign of a restricted airway that becomes relaxed during sleep. The tissues in the back of the throat can start fluttering during the breathing cycles. Although simple snoring usually does not disturb the sleeper it can cause social issues for others.
The incidence of snoring increases with age, weight gain, alcohol use, and prescription medications for sleep aid. Snoring can also be a sign of a more serious disorder called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. This can occur a few times during the night or hundreds of times. It can result in a low oxygen saturation level in the blood starving the tissues and organs. It can result in heart disease and death.
A medical doctor can confirm a diagnosis of sleep apnea after carefully reviewing the results of a sleep study test. This is done in sleep study centers and it monitors such criteria as blood oxygen level, REM cycles, and number breathing cessations per hour.
You can ask yourself these questions to see if you should seek help. What are my chances of dozing when I sit and read, watch TV, sit in public places, wait for red lights while driving, sit as a passenger in a car, and the likelihood of falling to sleep after lunch? If you are tired or fatigued easily during the day it would be very prudent to consult with your physician for advice.
Sleep apnea can be initiated from the brain or from physical factors that obstruct and collapse the breathing space. Exactly where the collapse occurs in the back of the throat can determine the treatment alternatives. This is referred to as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Treatments for OSA can vary from anti-snoring devices made by dentists, sleeping on specially tilted pillows, neck slings, or wearing facemasks attached to positive pressure air pumps. As with all treatment options these CPAP pumps cannot be tolerated by everyone and may have a limited success with some individuals. In severe cases where respiratory arrest is possible surgery may be an option. Surgical removal of excessive soft tissues in the throat and nasal sinus surgeries have been performed open up the airways with moderated success. In extreme cases skeletal surgeries are performed to open up airways with great success. It sounds like a lot of treatment, but we are talking about a life-threatening situation if left untreated.
Regardless, I hope that you can appreciate that snoring may be a sign of a more serious problem and that it should be discussed with your physician or dentist. Your dentist can do a quick airway analysis, ask a few questions, and refer you to a physician specializing in sleep apnea. Depending upon the results you may just have a snoring problem that can be alleviated with a simple appliance to open the air space for normal sleep or require a more elaborate treatment.
For answers to your dental questions, contact
Douglas Urban, D.D.S., Cerritos, CA 90703,
562-924-1523. DrDouglasUrban.com
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