Silent night, holy…. OUCH! Just as you were drifting off to sleep to the sound of soft, holiday carols and visions of sugar plums, your spouse is elbowing you because you were snoring too loudly again! Are you ready for rest, relief, and silent nights again? Our team at Beck Dental Care can help you. We offer treatment for snoring and sleep apnea symptoms so you, and everyone else at home, can restore peace and quiet to your holiday nights.
Is It Snoring Or Something More Serious?
Sleep apnea is commonly linked with persistent snoring. That’s largely due to the way sleep apnea affects your breathing while you sleep. Basically, this is a disorder where air is being blocked while you sleep. It can be caused by added pressure to your air passages as your throat muscles relax. Other times, it’s caused by a malfunctioning of the way your brain sends messages to the lungs and airways. Although the causes may differ, the nightly pattern is the same: you fall asleep, your airways become blocked and you stop breathing, you jerk awake, resume breathing, and fall back asleep until the next cycle or blockage occurs. This happens hundreds of times a night for many sleep apnea sufferers!
Snoring & Other Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea
Snoring loudly night after night is one of the most recognizable symptoms of sleep apnea. It’s also a very disruptive symptom of this sleep disorder because it affects everyone in your family. You may be sleep deprived because of all the other problems with your nighttime breathing problems, but your family is exhausted, too, if your snoring is loud enough to keep everyone awake. It’s no fun to be the reason your family is worn out day after day. But if you prefer to see the glass of eggnog half full, perhaps it’s a good thing there are other people in your house to tell you that you snore. Because sleep apnea can be so dangerous to your health, it can be tough for someone who lives alone to know they snore. So if you didn’t have a sleep partner to make you aware of it, it could take you much longer to get the help you need. That’s not to suggest, however, that snoring is the only sign of sleep apnea. Here are a few more you may be exhibiting:
-Morning Headaches
-Morning Sore Throats
-Feeling Exhausted All Day
-Difficulty Remembering Or Concentrating
-Unexplained Weight Gain
As if these symptoms weren’t bad enough, your health is also at risk if you have sleep apnea. Studies show a connection between sleep apnea and increased risk for type II diabetes, heart attack, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and driving or work-related accidents! At Beck Dental Care, we use the Epworth Sleepiness Scale to determine whether or not sleep apnea is the cause of your symptoms. If diagnostics prove you have sleep apnea, then it’s time to find a solution that works for you. We can offer an alternative for patients who just aren’t comfortable with a standard CPAP machine. Those are certainly effective in keeping your airways open through the night, but many patients prefer a small oral appliance. This is a custom-fitted mouthguard you wear while you sleep that adjusts your bite so air can move through easily and you can rest peacefully night after night. A happy consequence of the oral appliance is that it stops the loud, chronic snoring, so your family can enjoy silent nights again!
Silent Nights Are A Phone Call Away!
There’s nothing better than a warm, cozy night at home during Christmastime. The amber glow of the fireplace, the sound of crackling wood, the smell of holiday pine… and snoring echoing through the house so loudly it could bring a bear out of hibernation! If that sounds like the kind of nights your family is used to lately, then it’s time to get help so everyone in your household can get some sleep! At Beck Dental Care, we can test you for sleep apnea and help you find relief from the symptoms that come with it, including your loud snoring. With a simple oral appliance, you can breathe easier and sleep better. That’s the kind of peace on earth you need and deserve, especially at Christmastime.
Call our Columbia, TN dental office today at (931) 388-8452 or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment.