Do you snore or sleep with someone that snores? Snoring is annoying and disruptive for the person sleeping with you. Besides being extremely annoying, snoring can be very serious. Frequent loud snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a common disorder when you have one or more pauses in breathing or short breaths while sleeping. When sleeping, breathing can pause anywhere from ten to twenty seconds and can happen up to one hundred times or more every night. Since the long pauses disrupts your sleep rhythm, you spend more time in light sleep than deep sleep. This sleep deprivation leads to daytime drowsiness, lack of concentration, slow reflexes, and can lead to serious health problems. Over time sleep apnea can cause diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and weight gain.
There are different types of sleep apnea. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the most common. This type of sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissue in the back of your throat relaxes during sleep and blocks the airway.When the airway is blocked, it causes you to snore very loudly. Central Sleep Apnea involves the central nervous system. This occurs when the brain fails to signal the muscles that control breathing. It is a rare type and usually people with this type hardly ever snore. Complex Sleep Apnea is the combination of the other two types of sleep apnea.
If choking or gasping happens after the pause in snoring, it is a major sign that you have sleep apnea. Some people fall asleep very fast during the quiet moments of the day when nothing active is happening. Other common signs and symptoms include: headaches in the morning, lack of memory or learning problems, depression, mood swings, frequent urination, dry mouth, and sore throat.
So how do you know if its just snoring or sleep apnea? If you snore, consult your medical doctor about having a sleep study. There are different ways you and your medical doctor can treat snoring and sleep apnea. We also have a way to help in the dental world. There is a device called the Myerson Sleep Better Appliance also known as EMA. This is a custom made removable appliance that advances the lower jaw and open the bite to help with the restricted airflow during sleep. This appliance helps prevent snoring and relieves the symptoms of sleep apnea. It is also adjustable to patient satisfaction. We provide this option at our office. If you or someone you know snores or has sleep apnea, this appliance may be helpful!