A good night’s sleep does more than rejuvenate your energy and mood, children grow during sleep and when they say “sleep is the best medicine” that could be because you can heal while you are sleeping, too. More things go on while you are sleeping than just dreaming. One not so good thing that happens during sleep is snoring. If your snoring is waking you up at night, or keeping your spouse awake during the night, you may want to see what you can do to stop snoring.
Why We Snore
There are soft, fleshy muscles in the back of your throat called your soft palate. When you sleep these muscles relax partially blocking your airway. As you breathe and the air passes between your relaxed muscles and your tongue, the muscles vibrate producing the snoring sound. Snoring can increase if you are overweight, drink alcohol before bed, or have nasal congestion, or a deviated nasal septum.
Can Snoring Be Treated?
Although excessive, loud snoring is a sign of sleep apnea, not all people who snore suffer from sleep apnea. If your snoring is not due to sleep apnea, an oral appliance that adjusts your occlusion can help open your airways and eliminate snoring while you sleep. If your snoring is due to sleep apnea, Dr. Stewart will prescribe a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure) that increases the airway pressure in your throat by continuously feeding oxygen. This helps to keep your airway from collapsing and causing apneic episodes while you sleep.
About Your Livonia MI Dentist Dr. Stewart
James R. Stewart, Jr, DDS, PC and our compassionate staff proudly serve patients of all ages from Livonia, Farmington Hills, Plymouth, Northville, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, and all surrounding communities. If you think you or a loved one is dealing with a sleep disorder, call our Livonia, MI office today at (734) 425-4400, to schedule an appointment. At Dental sleep Medicine of Michigan, we are committed to forming trusting relationships with our patients so we can work together to achieve sound treatment and a future full of restful nights.
