Tossing and turning, stealing the blankets, restless legs: all of these can keep your sleeping partner awake. Of all nighttime distractions, snoring keeps people awake the most. In fact, 59% of adults say their partner snores. If your snoring is loud enough to keep your partner awake, you may also experience difficulty sleeping. Loud snoring is linked to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Dr. James Stewart, your Livonia dentist, explains how snoring disrupts your partner’s sleep, and your own.
Loud Snoring
Soft tissues in your mouth and throat vibrate while you breathe in your sleep, causing the sound of snoring. The more vibrations, the louder your snoring becomes. These same tissues can block your airway completely, causing OSA. During episodes of OSA, your breathing can stop for 10-30 seconds. Your body wakes to resume breathing, but this cycle prevents reaching deep sleep. About half of OSA sufferers have hypertension and are at a higher risk of stroke. Drowsiness from poor sleep makes those with OSA six times as likely to be involved in a car accident. Treating your loud snoring won’t just help your partner sleep better, but can make your waking life healthier and safer.
Treating OSA
With a CPAP, Dr. Stewart can help you sleep through the night and quiet your snoring to help your partner sleep, as well. A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine pumps air through a mask to allow regular breathing while you sleep. Nearly 70% of patients stop treatment with CPAP machines because of discomfort, and your partner may complain about the hum caused by the machine. In lieu of a CPAP machine, you can wear a special oral appliance that repositions the lower jaw and clears your airway of soft tissue.
Schedule an Appointment with Your Livonia Dentist
Talk to Dr. Stewart about treating your snoring and OSA to get better sleep. Schedule an appointment at our 48154 dentist office by calling (734) 425-4400. We welcome patients from Livonia, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Plymouth, Northville, Novi, Dearborn Heights, Dearborn, Garden City, Westland, Redford, and surrounding areas.