Okemos, Lansing, East Lansing MI
If you found this article, chances are high that you are searching for a solution for snoring — either yours or someone else’s. Perhaps your partner snores, which makes you toss and turn through the night and lose sleep. Or maybe you’ve been told you snore, and you can tell that you do by how sluggish and fatigued you feel during the day. Sleep disruptions affect your quality of sleep and your quality of life. While you may be tempted to try different tips and tricks that you may find over the counter or on the internet, your snoring could be caused by an underlying disorder called sleep apnea that requires medical intervention to solve.
Our airway dentist in Okemos, Dr. Christine Tenaglia, has compiled information on sleep apnea for you, and she is sharing on the blog today the easiest ways to stop snoring so that you (and/or your partner) can benefit from consistent, full, uninterrupted nights of sleep.
What causes snoring?
When someone snores, they usually have some sort of obstruction blocking the airway while sleeping. Many patients who report snoring are suffering from a surprisingly common sleeping condition called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA happens when a person’s airway collapses or becomes blocked while s/he is breathing during sleep. Each time a partial or complete blockage occurs, the airflow becomes restricted or is completely cut off. Oxygen levels drop, and the brain reacts as if the person is choking, sending signals to the body to resume the normal breathing pattern. This requires interrupting the sleep cycle to tell the person to wake up and breathe.
These blockage incidents can happen a dozen times a night or up to 100 times a night for someone with severe sleep apnea. Most snorers have no recollection in the morning of being startled awake so many times during the night.
What causes sleep apnea?
Obesity is one of the most prevalent causes of OSA because excess fat in the throat area can close the airway while a person is sleeping. Some sleep apnea patients may have a physical obstruction that requires surgery. A person may clench and grind his or her teeth (called “Bruxism”) while sleeping, increasing jaw tension which can cause an airway obstruction and trigger sleep apnea.
How does OSA affect my overall health?
Since people who suffer from sleep apnea are continuously being startled awake through the night, they are prevented from reaching deep, restorative stages of sleep. No matter how many hours of sleep a sleep apnea patient receives, it will never be enough. A lack of quality sleep can lead to chronic daytime fatigue and obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, heart attack, stroke and depression.
What treatments are available for OSA?
Only a medical professional can diagnose OSA. Our sleep apnea dentist in Lansing will conduct a thorough examination of the patient’s mouth and throat. If it appears the patient may have sleep apnea, our airway dentist, Dr. Christine Tenaglia, will recommend a sleep study for an official diagnosis.
Our dental team is specialized in airway and sleep apnea dentistry. We offer customized oral appliances for patients who are suffering from mild to moderate sleep apnea symptoms. These aligners will reopen the airways at night by shifting the lower jaw slightly down and forward. Patients find that wearing an oral appliance is much more comfortable, convenient and quiet than a cumbersome CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. Unlike CPAPs, oral appliances also do not require electricity or emit annoying sounds. Treating sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy will be a welcome idea for any partner who has suffered through the noise of either snoring or CPAP!
Snoring Treatment in East Lansing and Okemos
Snoring is not good for your body or your partner’s sleep cycles. Snoring can be annoying, but it’s the associated health issues that should have you headed to our Okemos dentist’s office as soon as possible. If you’ve been told you snore, or if your partner snores and you’re ready for a full night’s sleep again, give us a call at Tenaglia Smiles — (517) 940-8684 — to schedule a consultation today.