subject: Get Rid Of Snoring And Sleep Apnea With Help From Your Dentist [print this page] If you share a bed with someone who snores loudly, you know how much of an inconvenience it can be. Not getting enough sleep can be extremely detrimental to your overall health and can lead to difficulty concentrating and irritability. But for some, their snoring is actually related to a serious condition known as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that is characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. If you believe that you or someone you know is suffering from this disorder, do not hesitate to talk to your Las Cruces dentist as soon as possible to get treatment.
How Sleep Apnea Affects Your Health
If you do not receive treatment for your sleep apnea, your breathing will be interrupted for ten to twenty seconds up to hundreds of times per night. Over time, sleep apnea can lead to a variety of serious health problems such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure and can even be life threatening. If you seek treatment from your Las Cruces dentist, you will be able to control the symptoms of sleep apnea and live much healthier.
Here are some of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea:
*Waking with a dry or sore mouth
*Morning headaches
*Excessive daytime sleepiness
*Irritability and impaired mental functioning
*Insomnia
How To Treat Sleep Apnea
Make sure to bring up your sleep apnea when you go in to visit your dentist. He or she will be able to tell you that there are a few lifestyle changes that you can make that will help you with your sleep apnea. For overweight individuals, even a 10% decrease in weight can significantly decrease the number of sleep apnea events during a night of sleep. It is also helpful to avoid sleeping pills and alcohol, as these make the airway more likely to collapse during the night.
If these conservative methods do not work, you dentist has some other options to help you. This will usually consist of a dental appliance that will reposition the lower jaw and tongue. This treatment helps your airway stay open during the night. Another treatment for sleep apnea is use of continuous positive airway pressure. To use this treatment, you will wear a mask that will blow a consistent stream of air through your nose and/or mouth to make sure that your airway remains open during the course of the night. If these treatments do not work, some patients are eligible for surgery. Surgery is an option for people who have excessive or abnormal tissue that is blocking their airway. This is typically performed after other methods have failed.
To learn more about how to get rid of snoring or sleep apnea or to schedule an appointment, contact your dentist in Las Cruces today.
