Snoring can be disruptive for both the snorer and anyone who has to listen to it. You snore when your airway is compressed enough to restrict smooth airflow. The classic snoring sound is actually the sound of relaxed muscles flapping together as air forces its way past them.
However, snoring can be more than just an annoying sound. It may indicate that you have sleep apnea. This is a chronic condition in which you stop breathing several times each night. It can lead to chronic health issues with long-term consequences. Sleep apnea occurs for a number of reasons, but one of them is related to your jaw position. For that treatment, you'll want to go to a dental office like Furumoto Dentistry.
What Is Sleep Apnea, and Why Does It Occur?
Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person stops breathing in their sleep. The lack of oxygen eventually wakes them up. However, the awakening is so brief that the person may not remember it. In sleep apnea, this breathing trouble can happen several times per hour. The result is that the person does not feel well-rested in the morning.
Sleep apnea can be obstructive, meaning something is physically closing off the airway. It can also be neurologically based. This type of sleep apnea is called central sleep apnea and involves a disruption in the brain's signals that control your breathing. Obstructive sleep apnea is much more common, however.
A key indicator that someone has sleep apnea is chronic snoring. However, snoring alone doesn't mean that someone has actual obstructive sleep apnea.
When Does Snoring Indicate Apnea?
The frustrating part about snoring and sleep apnea is that snoring can be the sole symptom of apnea. That means you have to have a sleep evaluation to find out for sure if your snoring is apnea-related.
However, if you experience any of the following issues, your snoring may be more than just noise:
- You can't attribute the snoring to something else, like congestion from a cold.
- You keep waking up with unexplained headaches.
- You snore loudly. Louder snoring is more likely to be apnea-related, although that's not always the case.
- Your mouth is often dry in the morning.
- Your blood pressure is high despite treatment, or it's becoming elevated.
- You're overweight or obese.
- Your partner says you stopped breathing overnight.
- You woke up (or your partner told you that you were) choking.
- You're very sleepy, moody, and/or unable to concentrate during the day.
How a Cosmetic Dentist in Diamond Bar Can Help
One cause of obstructive apnea is an overly relaxed jaw. If you sleep on your back (or turn over onto your back), your lower jaw can droop down toward your neck. This can cause the muscles behind the jaw to sink toward the throat, blocking or compressing the airway.
You may be able to stop this with the help of an oral appliance that prevents your lower jaw from sagging. Some dental practices, like Furumoto Dentistry in Diamond Bar, can fit you with these oral appliances. And if you find out that your snoring isn't apnea-related but is jaw-related, an oral appliance may still help you stop snoring.
Snoring and Apnea Treatment at a Family Dentist in Diamond Bar
If you suspect you have sleep apnea, you need to arrange for a sleep evaluation. And if snoring is an issue, with or without sleep apnea, you need to look into oral appliances. Snoring may actually evolve into apnea as you get older. So, the sooner you seek treatment, the better.
Furumoto Dentistry in Diamond Bar, CA, may be able to help you. Contact us to speak with our dentists about how these oral appliances keep your airway open at night. You deserve to have a restful night's sleep.