Snoring
may cause more than marital problems.
We're all familiar with the sound. But even though snoring is
more a nuisance than a health concern, there is the possibility
that it will develop into sleep apnea - a serious disorder in
which the person snoring stops breathing several times a hour
while sleeping.
Snoring
affects more than 40 percent of men and 30 percent of women and
tends to worsen with age. A narrowing of the airway passage between
the back of the tongue and the soft palate causes snorning. Air
then passes across the soft palate causing it to vibrate, which
creates the sound we know as snoring. The level of snoring can
be aggravated by excess weight, alcohol intake, smoking, allergies,
use of tranquilizers, and sleeping on your back.
Sleep apnea
occurs when the tongue falls back over the airway and blocks the
flow of air. As a person tries harder to breathe, their airway
becomes even tighter, until breathing stops altogether. This can
happen a few times during a night's sleep or 100 times an hour.
When sleep
apnea causes air intake to be reduced, oxygen levels in the body
will also decrease, which can be a precursor to heart attacks,
strokes and other serious conditions.
The Good News
Now
there are dental appliances that can prevent snoring and sleep
apnea. Your dentist performs a thorough examination to rule out
other conditions, and then determines the best positioning of
your jaw for a free flow of air, and then an appliance is custom
made for you.
Your dentist
will then show you how to place the appliance in your mouth to
keep your airway open while sleeping. The appliance will also
prevent the tongue from falling back and blocking your airway.
