IS SNORING A PROBLEM? SEE YOUR DENTIST! Snoring can cause all sorts of problems. It's annoying to anyone who sleeps in the same bed/room/house with you, depending on how "loud" you are. It disrupts your sleep. How many times have you "snored yourself awake?" A recent news headlines stated another problem very bluntly: Snoring Makes You Stupid! Why does it "make you stupid?" Snoring deprives your brain of oxygen that it needs to function properly. This lack of oxygen actually kills off brain cells. Snoring also can be a warning that you suffer from OSA - Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and that is serious. You actually stop breathing for short intervals hundreds of times a night. Oxygen levels in your blood fall and carbon dioxide levels rise. this puts a severe strain on your body and can lead cures for snoring snoring to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. If you snore, you should first see your doctor to determine if you do have sleep apnea. In a recent study at Stanford University, one out of every three heavy snorers was found to have severe sleep apnea. The doctor may schedule you for a sleep stoudy. For this study, you will need to spend the night in a sleep laboratory where your breathing and snoring will be monitored to determine the severity of your snoring and sleep apnea. If you do suffer from severe sleep apnea, you may need to be fitted for a CPAP machine. Surgery is also a possibility. However, if the sleep study rules out obstructive sleep apnea, or if the apnea is still very mild, then you might consider a visit to your dentist. tips to stop snoring snoring A dentist can supply you with a dental appliance that can help you control your snoring. A dental appliance is a small plastic device that fits in the mouth. You wear it at night and it prevents the collapse of throat tissues that cause the snoring. These devices are easy to use and inexpensive. They are fitted to the individual patient and require no surgery. One such device is the Snore Guard. Snore Guard looks like an athletic mouthpiece. You wear it while you're sleeping and it prevents the jaw and tongue from dropping back to obstruct the air passages. It allows you to breathe easier, and keep breathing so you get a more restful sleep. Another such appliance is called Silent Nite. These devices are flexible, small, thin, and quite comfortable to wear. Your dentist stop snoring snoring will determine from
